AN: Another chapter down but I don't think I could update soon after this chapter. It would be a week perhaps before I could update the next. For the meantime please just bear with me.

Now, on with the story…

Sakura gazed towards the Hokage Monument. It was early in the morning and she was on her way to her mother's grave. Her hair tied into a ponytail was gently blown by the wind. She was wearing the flak jacket for Chuunins with the tight mesh shirt under paired by a white skirt with two slits on the sides, black bike shorts visible underneath.

She came by the Yamanaka Flower Shop to get some flowers. She entered the shop and saw Ino sitting behind a table, hands on her chin and half asleep.

"Morning…" she said gently tapping the table to get her friend's attention.

"Uh…" Ino opened her eyes only to see her pink-haired friend in front of her. "Hey Sakura!"

"I just came by to pick the flowers I-I ask for yesterday…" she said flinching at the thought of putting it in her mother's grave.

"Oh…" said Ino, noticing the hint of loneliness on her friend's voice. "I'll get it right away."

The blonde made her way to the stack of boxes on the corner. Sakura roamed her eyes around the shop as she waited for Ino.

"Sakura…" Ino called behind her. She turned around to see the concerned look on Ino face. "You know that you can talk to me about everything right?"

Sakura nodded. "Don't worry. I'm okay." Am I, she asked herself.

Ino handed her the flowers and stared at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Sakura forced herself to smile. I shouldn't let them worry about me. I don't want to be a burden any more, she said to herself.

She walked out of the shop and head her way to the graves. She avoided passing by the places her friends usually hung-out. She doesn't like the fact that they would only worry about her, asking her if she's alright.

She remembered what she heard what Naruto said the other day after she had undergone a series of exhausting training to get rid of herself thought about the murder.

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself; Sakura-chan. Sasuke, I and the others are worried about you."

Her mind was brought back to present by sudden feeling of unfamiliarity on her surrounding. Her eyes landed on the thick clump of bushes just a few meters away from her. She could feel the presence of a strong chakra being suppressed and she had never encountered it before. Her skill in chakra detection is pretty accurate but the strong chakra she felt suddenly vanished when she grabbed hold of a kunai. Not a single trace was left for her to follow.

Lowering her kunai, she sighed. I am not paranoid. I'm sure I felt something. Consciously, she continued walking making sure no one was following her.

She reached her mother's grave and carefully put the flowers on it.

"Hello, mom" she whispered. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you for a while. I was given a special permission by the Hokage to hunt that killer. I was busy trying to find him and training hard so that I could avenge your death."

Her lonely jade eyes turned angry while she clenched her fists until they were numb. She swore in her power that she would kill the bastard who murdered her mother no matter what the cost maybe.

She left the grave quietly and decided to go training. She felt someone behind her. Thinking that it was the one following her earlier, she threw shurikens at him.

That 'someone' dodged the shurikens and quickly moved towards her. She almost lost her breath when she realized that he just was behind her.

"You're quite alert this early morning…" said a familiar voice.

She turned around only to see a pair of onyx eyes staring right at her.

That's it for the second chapter. Sorry because I'm quite stuck to my lazy mode right now (this chapter is boring and short). I'll make it up to you guys on the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews and keep them comin' up.