Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. The only characters I have made that are my own are Kirita, Ruyi, Kija, Hajime, and a few others who are obviously not apart of the Naruto universe.

Notes: Well, first two chapters of this week are up! I'm going to release two chapters a week. Thank you for the reviews and follows/favorites! They make my day.

theIrishWriter - The first question will be answered in this chapter! u w u / Orochimaru's clan will be discussed in later chapters. What did they do and why were they wiped out will be explained. And yes, the four great clans are Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, and Uzumaki. For two chapters, I was focusing on mainly Sakura and introduction of Naruto. More clans will be seen/discussed in Chapter Three, I can guarantee that.

R&R!

Chapter Two:

Sakura's Resolve

"SasuKEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was a familiar chant in the capital of Kyoto. During the midst of piece of the Namikaze and Uzumaki fiefdon was a usual battle between well-known friendly rivals. Standing on the balcony of Nijō castle was the Lady of a castle. A woman renowned for her long and fiery, red hair that fell past her knees and round, violet eyes that glimmered with adoration of her family and people. Her hands rested on the red gates of the balcony as she stared her son and the Uchiha prince. "Naruto and Sasuke are at it again?"

Walking up from beyond her was a man of 5'8 and blond, spiky hair with clear blue eyes. "Every since I told Fugaku-sama to have a meeting with me, Naruto's been finding every chance to compete with Sasuke." He answered with a playful smile on his face.

Turning to her husband, she let out a long sigh as she looked up at him. "I suppose I can never expect peace and quiet when the Uchiha clan bring their son, can I?"

"No." He said quickly with a smile, his arms wrapping around her small shoulders. "We should've gave him a sibling a long time ago, Kushina."

"And whose fault was that?!" A nervous chuckle managed to leave him as the woman's voice rose, "I asked for a daughter right when Naruto was five."

With a sigh, he nodded. "You're right, you did, Kushina." Looking over the city, he saw his son and the dark-haired teen on opposite roofs in a standoff. "But it's been hectic these past couple of years. We've been lucky that we've been free of war for a while, but who is to say that the peace will last? I will never leave you pregnant and alone."

Kushina's face softened upon his words, "Minato…" Her eyes then followed his towards their son, the corner of her lips curling up into a small smile. "Have you heard anything back from Kizashi-sama? How about Mebuki-chan? How is Sakura-hime doing? Did she like our gift?"

"Slow down." Minato shook his head, "I haven't received any letters from Kizashi-sama. It's odd since he usually replies back within a day, but I haven't received anything."

"They must've been too busy celebrating their daughter's sixteenth birthday." Kushina tried to reason, turning to look at Minato's face. Placing her hands on his shoulder, she gave him a happy smile. "Also, they will be giving her away. They might want to spend as much time with her as they possibly can, 'ttebane."

"'Kaa-san~" The duo jumped upon hearing the voice, both of them turning to see look at Naruto, waving at them with a large grin on his face. "Wanna watch me beat Sasu—" Before he could even finish the sentence, a large fireball went hurling toward Naruto's way.

"N-Naruto!" Kushina screamed out in hurry but Naruto was already counteracting the attack. Spinning his naginata, he cut the ball of flames in half, using an air ability to slice it in half down the middle as it continued to move past him while dispersing.

Minato and Kushina sighed of relief once their son was visible and in one piece. "Sasuke, what the hell?!" He yelled at the boy on the other side.

"You weren't paying attention." The Uchiha heir said simply, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Turning away from the blond, he scaled down the walls before jumping towards the ground, landing perfectly on his feet.

Sasuke, unlike Naruto, was from a clan of ninja and samurais. The Uchiha clan was a clan of ninjas first before his father, Fugaku, had own more fiefdoms to expand themselves to be large enough to be samurai as well. Sasuke himself had the luxury to train to be both, but thought that being a ninja was less of a nuisance than being a samurai.

Annoyed that Sasuke stormed away from him, Naruto turned towards his parents. "I'll be home in a sec!"

"Can you believe it? Naruto is actually seventeen now." Kushina said as she watched Naruto safely ease his way down before letting his feet touch the ground.

Minato smiled upon her words, "I can't believe it still. It feels like just yesterday I was told you had to hold him first."

"You're still upset about that?" She questioned, laughing as she remembered his irritated expression when being denied to hold their first and only newborn. "I remember holding such a fragile boy in my arms…" She closed her eyes, losing herself in the memories of the day she first met her precious son, her Naruto.

"But now that he is growing to be a man, he'll be getting married. Remember when we allowed him to become a samurai at fourteen?" Minato sighed at the thought, "And now he gets to marry out of love than obligation."

Kushina nodded, smiling at the thought. "Naruto never likes decisions being made for him and I'm sure an arranged marriage is something that he won't like. Yet, he told me that he promised to marry Sakura-hime, so I'm sure the news would excite him, wouldn't it?"

"I doubt it." The Shogun rubbed his temples, dreading the thought of this conversation happening. "He said he wanted to marry her on his terms. When we tell him we arranged it, he'll be infuriated."

"Then how are we going to bring this up to him, Minato?" Both of them sighed simultaneously. This was not going to end well.

Minato shook his head, uncertainty on his features. "It would be simple to just tell him and see how it goes. If Naruto wishes to not marry her right away or wants to carry through with a plan, we can put the marriage alliance on hold. Both of us fought against our arranged marriages, so I don't think it is fair that we don't allow Naruto to choose as well."

It was times like these that she was glad that Minato had an open-mind and a gentle heart. "You said the Hyūga clan proposed a marriage alliance, didn't you?"

"Yes..." Folding his arms, he sighed once more. "I really didn't want to refuse them because they have skilled warriors, warriors you would want to be on your side during a battle."

"Their daughter… What is she like?" It didn't surprise him to hear her curious about a possible girl that could take her son away. Even though Kushina was rooting for Sakura, she still wanted to know about the Hyūga princess.

Minato hummed in thought, "I don't know much about her but I did hear she's beautiful; quite on the shy side as well… That's all I know."

Fumbling their way in the room, Naruto pushed open the sliding doors and ran over to his parents who he thought were in the middle of a playful fight. "Uh, 'kaa-san… 'tou-san…" He looked at the two, wondering if it was okay for him to interrupt.

"Naruto." As usual, his mother gave him her full attention, ignoring Minato at her side. He could the feel the heatwave radiating off of her, reminding him that their fight was not necessarily over. "Are you causing chaos around the city?!" The boy jumped as soon as his mother voice raised, yelping as he envisioned her growing large in size and hair floating wildly from the aura of her anger.

"N-No!" He immediately said, pleading for her to show mercy. "Sasuke and I were just playing around, I'm serious! Nothin' got damaged and nobody got hurt!" Continuously, he felt himself getting smaller and smaller by her glare.

Taking his son's word for it, Minato placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You're the son of the Shogun, Naruto. You have to be a little more careful in your play fights or whatever you two are doing."

"Ah, yeah, I know." Rubbing the back of his head, he gave his parents a large grin. "Sasuke has gotten strong and I felt a bit jealous. I thought I was still stronger, but I guess I'm not… Heh!"

His mother scoffed, "You just have to train some more. I don't want Mikoto-chan telling me her son bested you!" Kushina was still as competitive as ever. "Oh, and Naruto," gathering the boy's hands in hers, she gave him a playful smirk. "Do you remember, Sakura-hime?"

Naruto rose a brow, confused by his mother's behavior but the thought of Sakura had made him avert his gaze and try to fight the crimson blush that was scattering across his cheekbones. "O-Of course I remember, Sakura-hime."

Minato and Kushina looked at one another, smiling. "Well, your father and I spoke to Kizashi-sama and—"

The doors hurried open, Kakashi came running through. "Kakashi? What's the matter?" Minato questioned, knowing full well that his general was usually never in a hurry and had something urgent to report.

Kakashi was General of the Namikaze clan, serving under Minato ever since he was just a boy. He was a relatively tall man, spiky hair and dark-colored eyes. He always wore a mask that covered half his face; including his narrow jawline. A small, vertical car ran over his left eye, which has a history behind it that most people come to know once they've been blessed to work under him. Only at thirty-one, he accomplished many great things more many men his age and even earned quite a few legendary names as well. Most of the samurai and ninjas looked up to Kakashi and had great respect for him even though he plays off as this lazy man that rather read all day than have time for war.

"The Haruno clan was attacked last night, and many people of the villages claim that Orochimaru of Yamata led the charge."

Naruto's eyes widened, Kushina gasped as Minato's face hardened. "What about Kizashi-sama and his family?"

Kakashi's eyes had looked down, "They are dead, Minato-sama."

"S-Sakura-hime can't be dead!" Naruto yelled, his heartbreak embedded in his voice as Kushina began to shed tears.

"I actually have no idea if Sakura-hime was killed during the raid or not. Kizashi and Mebuki-sama were both killed. We found their bodies hung outside the gates of Ōta castle." He informed them as Kushina's cries had grown louder.

Minato instinctively pulled his wife close, pressing her head to his shoulder as she grieved over the loss of one of her closest friends. "If Sakura-hime is still alive, we must find her before Orochimaru does."

"I'm going to help search for her too!" Naruto chimed in, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. His hand was balled up in a tight fist, "There's no way I'm letting that psycho get his hands on her."

Naruto's mind was set on it and once he became fixated with something, there was no turning back. Minato nor Kushina could even ask him to change his mind since both of them knew that Orochimaru was a serious problem that had to be dealt with immediately. "Naruto, don't be in such a hurry." His father tried to reason, "We don't know where Sakura-hime is and we have no idea if Orochimaru is using her as bait."

"As bait? Bait for what?" Naruto questioned, turning to look at his father to hear a full explanation.

"The Yamanaka and many other clans are allied with Haruno. Also, you know Empress Tsunade cares deeply for Sakura-hime. He could be using this to his advantage to incite war. He might also know that we also were going to be alliance with them." Naruto then began to wonder something.

"So, you and Kizashi-sama were planning an alliance? How? Just a neutral alliance."

Kushina decided to step in, "No. We were going to have you and Sakura-hime form a marriage alliance. That way, Kizashi-sama would send us horses and you would be married to Sakura-hime…"

The boy looked incredulous upon the news. He was torn between feeling angry and excited. Now wasn't the time to be either one, but he couldn't help the emotions that were building up inside him. "Sakura-chan and I were…." He mumbled, "going to be married and you guys didn't tell me?!"

"We were just about to, Naruto." His father's voice grew stern, "But Kakashi just told us the news of the Haruno clan. At this rate, we might have to renege and have you marry Hinata of the Hyūga clan."

"But why?!"

Kushina, also surprised by her husband's words, looked at him in confusion. "Orochimaru wants vengeance. We decimated his clan after all the terror they have caused. We're going to need a stronger army and the Hyūga clan can give us that."

'But I don't want to marry Hinata." Naruto stubbornly declared, "I don't want Sakura-chan to be forced to marry me either, but she needs me. I have to protect her."

"Naruto, this isn't just about you." Minato walked forward, trying to get his words through his son. "A war is coming and we need all the samurai and ninjas that we can get."

"We'll get them! I promise you, 'Tou-san. Just let me do it, I can get everyone on our side and put that sick snake down, dattebayo!"

Naruto had left his parents room, eager to get Sasuke to join up with him. If there was one person Naruto could count on to have his back, it would be his best friend. He was sure Sasuke would help join him in the hunt to find Sakura and fight against Orochimaru. He was confident enough since he figured Sasuke wouldn't want to get one-upped.

Kakashi watched the boy leave before looking at Minato and Kushina, despite their hearts being heavy with worry, they believed in their son more than they ever did before. "Minato-sama, Naruto can't do this alone. If you want, I can gather a few men and we can begin the search for Sakura-hime."

"No, I'm going to need you, Kakashi." Minato turned to look out at the balcony, feeling the shift in the air that wasn't as harmonious as it was minute prior. "We'll be needed to gather information and send a letter to Empress Tsunade of what happened to the Haruno. She won't be happy. And we'll need to gather everyone that we can to fight alongside us. I should've been more careful when rumors of Yamata supporters were spreading around, I didn't want to believe it to be true but look what's happened…"

The teenage boy had ran to the part of the castle that the Uchiha were staying during their visit. They had taken the right wing, enjoying the garden area due to their heirs being very much aggravated when they haven't gotten their training time. Itachi, quite infamous in his own right, was with them and it also meant Sasuke didn't want to stray from his brother too much. Itachi and Sasuke felt like brothers to him in the first place. Itachi was gentle-mannered, thoughtful, and well-spoken. Sasuke was arrogant, competitive, and aloof but he always seemed to shrink whenever he was beside Itachi. All of them had such polar personalities but they gotten along much better than anyone would ever think.

"Naruto?" A woman with long, black hair and eyes to match had gotten his attention as she was knitting in the middle of the living room-like area. Naruto came to a halt to speak to the gentle woman that was Itachi and Sasuke's mother.

"Ah, oba-chan*," He greeted her with a smile, "have you seen Sasuke?" Mikoto smiled upon the greeting and nodded.

"He's speaking to Fugaku, so you'll have to wait a little while. In the meantime, you can talk to me." Leading Naruto to an unoccupied room, she sat down on a zabuton* and offered him one as well. Naruto patiently sat down, curious of what Mikoto wanted to speak about. "Sasuke might be a bit moody for a while."

"Huh? How come?" inquired the young samurai, "I mean… He's always moody, but if you think he's gonna be moody then it must be even worse."

She placed a hand over her lips before letting out a breathy, sweet laugh. It then dimmed some minutes after, her eyes showcasing a sense of somberness. "Fugaku and I were thinking of Sasuke's future and the future of the clan," Naruto's eyes stayed trained on her as she spoke, "he's young and handsome… He's really strong and we need to make sure that the Uchiha clan's legacy continues on."

"Uh... oba-chan, where are you going with this?"

It surprised her how he didn't catch on, she figured she made it painfully obvious. "Well, we're planning on making Sasuke get married."

"Married? He's only eighteen, oba-chan!" Even though it was normal, especially for girls to get married at the age of twelve, he didn't see himself or Sasuke getting married until they were in their twenties.

She felt the same but she had to think of the better of the clan as well, "We haven't told him who he'll be marrying but he knows he will be, at least now he does."

"Well, who is it?" Well, he was indefinitely interested on what poor girl would be forced to marry the brooding Uchiha. "Is it someone I know?"

Before Mikoto could answer, the sliding door of the room opened to reveal Sasuke. The look on his face summed up his whole feeling on the marriage issue. He looked aggravated as if he was given a problem that was beyond his comprehension.

"Sasuke…" His mother's voice rung in the air, her worry evident on her face. The last thing she wanted was any of her boys to be unhappy.

His onyx eyes glanced towards her before averting, Naruto noted his silence and felt uncomfortable. Even though he came here with important news, he was starting to feel that now might not be the time. No, Sakura's life was on the line. He couldn't wait for Sasuke to feel better. That was way more important.

Naruto had stood on his feet, "Sasuke," the Uchiha male looked at him, his eyes noting the shift in the boy's atmosphere. Whatever Naruto had to say, it was important. "The Haruno clan was attacked by Orochimaru last night."

Mikoto gasped, dropping the needle and kimono that she was threading. "That's what Fugaku was in a hurry about? Oh no, what about—"

"Kizashi-sama and Mebuki-sama didn't make it. Sakura-hime is nowhere to be found." He announced, the woman's hand clasped over her mouth as she closed her eyes. Mikoto, Mebuki, and Kushina were all childhood friends. It was painfully obvious that they would take the news harder than anyone else.

Sasuke knelt to comfort his mother, who smiled through her tears at her son's concern. "I'll be alright, Sasuke." She said in hopes to ease his worries.

"Since Sakura-hime can't be found. I was hoping that you could help me find her, Sasuke."

Mikoto looked to Sasuke, wondering what his answer would be. Sasuke glanced away from his mother and towards the Uzumaki, "You want me to look for the princess? What is that going to solve?"

"She needs to be kept safe before Orochimaru kills her as well. Don't you care if she gets killed?!" Naruto's brows furrowed upon the boy's nonchalance and obvious uncaring attitude towards the Haruno princess.

"People die everyday." He simply said, "And who knows that us searching for her is actually going to keep her safe. Orochimaru will know where she is and it'll make her an easier target." He explained, somewhat startling Naruto as he hadn't thought of that either. "If he thinks Sakura is dead or didn't make it, wouldn't she be safer that way? If nobody is searching for her that means Sakura is dead and she can live in safety."

Mikoto's eyes glanced to the floor, realizing that her son may have a point. If Sakura stayed in hiding then she wouldn't be a target. Orochimaru wouldn't suspect her being alive if she couldn't be found. "That's nonsense, Sasuke! If she is alive, that doesn't mean Orochimaru won't find her! If we find her, she'll stay here and be safe. She'll also not have to deal with bandits, you know there are bandits everywhere! You know what they do to people!"

"If she managed to escape, do you think she's alone? There's obviously someone helping her."

That was also true, Naruto didn't think of that either. He was so wrapped around the idea of finding Sakura and protecting her himself that he hadn't realized that if Sakura did escape, she might not have actually escaped alone.

"I have to do something, Sasuke. I can't just sit around and do nothing." Naruto said with gritted teeth, becoming aggravated about the whole situation.

Sasuke understood that Naruto felt pained and probably useless that he was in no help to Sakura at the moment. The Uchiha sighed, looking away as he was beginning to feel uncharacteristically guilty about shooting down each and every one of Naruto's ideas. He knew the Uzumaki liked the Haruno princess. That was the whole reason behind Naruto's resolve to find her.

"Fine, I'll help you look for her." Mikoto and Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise, "Its not like I have anything to do here."

Mikoto looked at the two boys, a sense of content upon her face. 'They are really growing up...' She thought, amazed at how she remembered the two being five and running around, causing havoc to anyone that crossed their paths. Having Itachi running around after them and cleaning up their messes. She had stood and placed her small hands on her son's shoulders. "Sasuke, please be careful. I'll tell your father that you joined the search for Sakura-hime."

Naruto infamous grin decorated his face, "Uh, where's Itachi?"

"He just left with Chichie-ue to look for Kakashi," answered Sasuke, "I'm assuming its about Orochimaru and how we're going to deal with them."

"Alright. I know just the team!" Naruto smacked his fist into his open palm, "We'll need Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino."

The Uchiha sighed in aggravation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

::

Six days later...

A pair of bright, emerald eyes had flew open to stare at the ceiling above them. The gaze was hazy, blurry at most and the thought of concentrating further seemed unwanted. Rolling to her side, she decided to force herself back to sleep until realizing she was not at home. Immediately sitting up, she looked to her right to see a sleeping familiar face. "Kirita…" She murmured, feeling a bit at ease knowing that someone she knew was at her side. Surveying what looked to be a small hut, she figured that Kirita brought her here upon their long travel of escape on horseback.

Pulling her knees towards her chest, the girl wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin in between her knees. Her memories thrashed around her head violently as she stared blankly ahead, hearing the crackling sound of the kagizuru*. It would take some time to soak in the suffering she had just faced but she knew now, more than ever, that she had to become strong. She had planned vengeance for what happened to her father and mother.

Her parents did not deserve to die, especially not like that. Her father was a man who wanted to protect his people and his family. Wars? The Shogun title? He never cared for any of that. He was a charismatic, social butterfly that could make anyone in the room laugh and smile; always making jokes and getting to know people with the slightest bit of effort. He had a way with people, a way she wished she had, and it made her idolize him since she was young.

Now her mother, she was a fiery spirit. She never allowed Sakura to behave like a spoiled brat no matter how much the princess tried. She would always put her in her place and not coddle her like her father did. Even if it angered Sakura, she grew to appreciate that her mother was trying to make her strong.

If there was one thing Sakura wished, she had wished she told her parents that she loved them before Kirita dragged her way. That day, a day that was supposed to be joyous with her and filled with happy memories were now inked with their deaths.

"Sakura-hime, you're awake!" Sakura had slowly glanced to the girl who was resting minutes ago and greeted her with a small and forced smile. "You've been sleeping for two days, I was worried and that's why I made some stew and-"

"I'm fine, Kirita, I'm just a little tired." She tried to calm the girl's worries, placing a hand on top of hers. Kirita's worry didn't disappear but it lessened some as she held onto the princess' hand.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect Kizashi-sama or Mebuki-sama, if I had reached them sooner then—"

Sakura interrupted her, shaking her head and continuing to appear strong. "I know, Kirita, you served my family valiantly. No one could save them, and if anyone should of done it then…" It was clear that Sakura blamed herself for not saving her father and mother. She felt because she was there that she could've done something, anything, to have saved them

The bright purple eyes of the female warrior had burned with intensity upon realizing that the princess thought she should've saved her parents. Kirita's hands held onto the princess' tightly, Sakura looking at her with surprise. "Sakura-hime, don't blame yourself either if I am not allowed to take the blame. That man who murdered your family and took our home… he is the only one to blame."

The princess nodded, agreeing with her, but she couldn't help but wonder as to how all of this even transpired in the first place. What enemies did her father have that she was unaware of? Why would someone want to kill her father in the first place?

Kirita, you know we can't keep running forever." Sakura reasoned, "How long do you think it is safe to stay here?

At least two days. We covered our tracks well, but ninjas are extremely good at their jobs. "Ninjas…" Sakura never an enemy ninja and she never wanted to either. Their stealth and quick, easy kills were enough to frighten her. Never in her life did Sakura fight before, her father finding no need for a princess to fight. Now she had no way in protecting herself and only had to rely on Kirita.

"I want to find out what happened to my mother and father." She spoke up, the warrior beside her looking at her in surprise and concern. "In order to do that, I have to learn how to fight."

Shuffling her feet, the young woman wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Her lips pursed, her eyes drifted away from the princess' to think more on the subject. "Kizashi-sama wouldn't have liked to know I let you pick up a weapon."

"My father is not here anymore." Her voice hardened, her eyes ablaze with determination. "If I want to survive without constantly having you to fight for me, to get my revenge, then I need a means of protection that is not you, Kirita. I have to know how to fight."

When Sakura spoke with so much resolve, it was hard to sway her. She was stubborn like that and Kirita knew that all that too well. Seeing as continuing to debate on whether it was a right decision or not had only increased the princess' desire to fight, Kirita caved in. "Learning how to use a sword will take too long," She sighed, "And so, I'll teach you how to use a bow and arrow."

"That'll do just fine." Sakura smiled, glad that Kirita had reasoned with her. "But first, I have something that I need to do."

"Huh? But what about the stew? And I don't think its safe for you to be on your own." Kirita immediately got to her feet, anxious at the idea for Sakura to be on her own just yet.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to the river. I need some time to think." Sakura said with a smile. "Besides, I think Yumi might need some attention."

Although hesitant, Kirita gave her a slow nod and began to pour herself some stew. Sakura had slowly opened the hut door and stepped outside, breathing in deeply to the fresh, farm air. They were still in Haruno fiefs. It would take them a couple of weeks before they left the province completely. Either way, they were still far from the castle and hopefully far away from Orochimaru's clutches.

Her feet slowly walked towards the riverbank where Yumi's reins were tied neatly around a tree. The horse was eating grass and acting quite calm despite the hectic ordeal they escaped from. Patting the horse's side, the horse slowly turned to look at the princess before going back to eating. With a smile, Sakura had noticed the bag on the saddle. Unbuckling it open she had found a pink blanket, wrapped gift with a letter attached to.

Curiously, she opened the letter and began to read its contents:

Sakura,

I know you're quite angry with me after I announced to you the marriage between you and Naruto Uzumaki. I know that you want to marry out of love and not out of forced commitment. I was lucky enough to have met your mother as a young samurai. She was but a farmer girl, but I knew I loved her when I first spoke to her. I want you to fall in love too. I don't ever want you to force yourself to love someone, but as a Damiyo, I have to look for your best interest, which might not align with your heart. I know you like to ride Yumi when you're angry and so I dropped your presents off in here. I hope when you read this, you have forgiven me and please give this Naruto fellow a chance. He seems quite nice. He even got you a present.

Love,

Your Father

It was just then that the tears couldn't stop flowing, still trying her best to weep silently. Her mouth was glued shut but her eyes were like waterfalls. Nothing could stop them as she quickly unwrapped the blanket with blurry eyes. It was a small Tantō* with a pink sheath. The haruno symbol was on the bottom with a cherry blossom petal in its center. Sakura unsheathed the small dagger and admired the craftsmanship and sharpness of the blade. So, her father wanted her to be able to protect herself in someway, huh? Who knew that his early thinking would actually have come to use.

Pressing the Tanto close to her and all she could manage to do at the moment was cry. Whimpers that she had tried to suppress had crept upon her lips, spilling out over and over as her shoulders shook. "Chichie-ue... Haha-ue…" The pain of losing them had completely washed over her all over again, "I promise to avenge you. I won't let him get away with this. Orochimaru will die." She whispered, unsheathing the dagger and taking the ribbon that tied her hair in its ponytail. She walked over towards the river, staring at her reflection as she raised all of her hair and with one fell swoop, cut her hair.

Her hair was now short, only reaching the end of her neck. She had dropped the remainder of her hair in the river, watching it float and go down stream. "In order to avenge you, I can't be Sakura, princess of the Haruno clan. I have to become someone else." Biting down her lip, she stare at the dagger as she began to strengthen her resolve. "I have to be Sakura, the warrior, now."

Sheathing the Tantō, she had placed it inside her obi, tucking it neatly so that it could not be seen. Although her hair was quite choppy since it wasn't done by a professional, she didn't care. This Sakura could not care about her looks. This Sakura cared about revenge. She had to leave nearly everything about herself behind.

Walking back towards Yumi, she reached into the bag of the saddle and pulled out the letter and gift from what she assumed was from Naruto. She opened the present first to see two, small double cherry blossom hair clips. Sakura rose a brow but slowly smiled before placing both of them in her hair. She then open the letter:

Sakura-chan,

It has been a few months since I last wrote to you. I didn't want to be too annoying, dattebayo! Anyway, you told me you mastered horse-riding, congrats! I'd like to learn that too, you'll have to teach me next time we see each other.

Anyway, since it's your birthday, I got you these hair clip things that my mom usually wears. When I saw them, they reminded me of you. You know, your name and hair… so I bought 'em! I hope you like them, I'm not really good at picking things out for girls. Sasuke even told me to tell you happy birthday, he's been busy lately and that's why he hasn't replied to your letters. You should totally give up on writing him letters and just keep talking to me. Hehe.

I'm going to live up to my promise, dattebayo. Just be a little patient. When you see me, you won't even believe how much handsome I got! Ha, way better than Sasuke!

From,

Naruto

"That idiot…" She whispered, pressing the letter to her lips while trying to fight her smile. "He'll never change…"

Not wanting to stay by the river too much longer, Sakura had placed the letters and wrapping blankets back in the bag. She slowly made her way back to the hut, seeing Kirita slurping down the bowl of stew. The young warrior turned to look at her, her eyes nearly bulging out of her sockets. "S-Sakura-hime! Y-Your…"

"My hair? I cut it." She answered before sitting next to Kirita. "I decided to avenge my parents and in order to do that. I have to let everything that I was go. I can't be a princess anymore. I have to be a samurai, like you. Well, an archer samurai or whatever." She shrugged her shoulders before picking up a bowl, taking the ladle and pouring herself some of the steaming beef stew.

"You're… You're really serious about this, huh?" Kirita asked, making sure if this was what Sakura really wanted to do.

"Yes. I won't let Orochimaru get away with this." She answered before taking a sip, wincing a bit due to how hot it was. "So, I want Kyūdō lessons as soon as possible, okay? I need to figure out a plan, but something tells me that maybe I should see Naruto soon."

Dictionary:

Oba-chan - Aunt

Zabuton - Floor pillow

Kagizuru - Fireplace

Tantō - Literally translate to short blade and is similiar to a dagger/knife