Hi guys! I would like to thank the following:

Black Wolf Lady, for being absolutely awesome and reviewing my stories,
AnimeLuver126, for also being awesome and reviewing
Black-footed, for giving her detailed opinion which I thought was grand,
Darkredblossomgodess, for reviewing,
Sukii-Sama, for being incredibly enthusiastic,
Black snake eyes,
BB'S-SHINIHAMI-KURA-HARUNO,
Weasel-Scarecrow Luvrs,
music1462,
And finally, Minato-kun Luvr.
AND ANYONE ELSE WHO REVIEWED, FAVED OR STORY ALERTED!

Incredibly Long Author's Rant Over.

Let's continue with the story!

~::~

In all honesty, everything was rather incredible. Even in Sakura's most daring dreams, things wouldn't have drifted on so smoothly. It's been two weeks since the preliminary rounds, and just under a week since she'd started training with Kurenai-sensei.

However, Sakura still felt as if something was missing.

She was not an overly emotional person, so she could not fully distinguish what the feeling in the pit of her stomach was.

So, for the time being, she ignored it, instead walking over to the Training Grounds where she was meant to meet up with Hinata for their training session.

Over the past couple of days, she'd discovered something the Akatsuki couldn't get out of her.

She'd found her style.

All of those who were responsible for her training in the Akatsuki, each concentrated on different styles, different techniques.

And now, after having to find the best way to go against Hinata, Sakura finally knew what it was she was lacking.

When training with Kisame or Itachi, she usually lost because she focused on using all the techniques she knew, instead of choosing one.

She knew that stability is an unsafe thing to do on a battle field, but sometimes it was necessary.

So, when she took her stance in front of Hinata, she knew what she was doing.

Left leg in front, right behind, her left hand outstretched while the other was kept palm-flat close to her chest. That was her stance.

Hinata's was similar, the Hyuuga Style passed from generation to generation.

At some unspoken signal, the two girls jumped at each other.

Hinata's movements sharp and quick, while Sakura's graceful and round.

Gentle Fist vs. Chakra Scalpel.

A quick intake of air from the Hyuuga heiress was everything Sakura got as a confirmation of the fact that her attack had been, in fact, successful.

They went at it for a few more minutes until Sakura thought of something else…

She could see that Hinata was still holding back, that her heart wasn't in the attacks. So, she decided to use her incredible powers of mind-fuck and persuade the girl.

"Hinata-chan, you're not taking me seriously, are you scared?" she taunted the shy kunoichi. "Or do you think that even now, after you're so much stronger, are you afraid that I will still win?"

Hinata paled. "S-Sakura-chan? You don't mean that! I'm stronger now!"

"Are you sure?" Sakura almost flinched. It hurt her to taunt her friend like that, hurt to see the betrayed look in her eyes.

"YES! I'm stronger now and I know I can go against you! I may not be able to defeat you yet, but I won't give up! T-That's my nindo! And I will fight for it!"

Sakura watched, captivated, as the look in her friend's eyes changed drastically. Her posture too.

The dangerous Hinata has Awakened.

Oh boy.

~::~

(A/N: If you want to see the "Awakened" Hinata go to my profile, there's a link for the picture. Cheers lovelies!)

~::~

Both girls stood in the middle of the clearing, panting wildly. Sakura's left arm was sticking out at an odd angle, the chakra points in her right leg blocked.

Hinata had a few deep cuts on her face and arms, the muscle from her left thigh was completely numbed by the rosette's Internal Chakra Scalpel.

"Well done, Hinata-chan. You're truly strong. Just show it sometimes."

Suddenly, understanding dawned in the younger girl's lavender eyes. "Y-You planned this! What you said earlier i-it was to make me angry and loose myself t-to the power, wasn't it?"

A tired nod is what she got in response.

Tears build up in her eyes, "Oh Sakura-chan!" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just… so… so angry! I'm sorry!"

She glomped Sakura and sobbed into her shoulder.

The pinkette just sighed and stroked her hair. "Sssh, Hinata-chan. It was my fault. I wanted to test you. To help you release all that pent up emotion inside you. I'm sorry too."

"I-I'm so pathetic." Hinata whimpered.

Sakura pushed her so she was an arms' length away, a stern look in her eyes.

"No, Hinata. You're not. See this?" she asked, outstretching her arm and ignoring Hinata's flinch at the sight of the broken bone. "A person whom can snap a bone in half with a single touch is anything but pathetic."

"B-But Sakura-chan, y-your arm-!"

"Hinata, remind me once again, Who. Am. I?" Sakura asked patiently.

"A-A medical ninja..?" Hinata squeaked.

"Good Girl." Sakura chuckled. "Mending bone is my second nature. Braking bone is the first, though."

Hinata giggled quietely, only to be soon joined by Sakura's slightly louder sniggers.

Suddenly, Hinata's arm came around Sakura's shoulders. "Oh, Sakura-chan." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I can never thank you enough."

~::~

Sakura was ready to burst out crying. How, oh how, did she deserve such a faithful, forgiving friend? How?

After mending the bone, the two girls just sat there, hugging, chatting, apologising and laughing. Even now, almost two hours later the girls were still smiling fondly. They treasured their friendship too much to ever hurt one another. They both knew it.

Therefore, Sakura made the decision. A decision which might very well change her life completely.

Her friend deserved truth. Straight, exact, truthful truth.

Hinata deserved to know who she truly was.

"Hinata-chan… I need to tell you something. The truth about my family."

Hinata's eyes lit up. Sakura always avoided any and all things which would lead to having to reveal anything about her family or her birthday.

So, after taking a deep breath, Sakura made the decision.

Now or never.

"Hinata… I was born in the Akatsuki."

…

…

…

"I was born in the middle of the night. Nothing special."

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh. The girl was too innocent for her own good. She linked the Japanese meaning of 'akatsuki' as 'Dawn' simply thinking that Sakura was talking about the time of day she was born at.

Such incredible innocence.

"No Hinata-chan. Akatsuki is a name. A name of an organization."

"So? It's not like it's some criminal organization, is it?" Hinata asked jokingly, giggling slightly at the impossibility of it all.

But at Sakura's sullen look her giggles stopped. Her hand automatically rose to her mouth.

"Y-You don't mean…? The Akatsuki? The dangerous organization in Amegakure?"

Sakura just nodded, eyes closed, preparing herself for the screams, the tears, the rejection.

It never came.

Instead, a soft sigh escaped Hinata's lips.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, a questioning, dumbfounded look in them.

"Y-You don't hate me?" It was the first time Sakura ever stuttered. She was just so shocked.

Hinata shook her head.

"I could never hate you, Sakura-chan. In fact, my respect for you has just sky-rocketed once again." At Sakura's curious gaze she just laughed. "You survived twelve years of your life with dangerous criminals. It's thought to be impossible. You proved me wrong."

Sakura just shakes her head and smiles.

Oh, Hinata…

~::~

I never expected that sort of reaction. I expected something different, and yet, I didn't.

None of it was hard. Not when you have the resources I have, by which I mean to say, when you're as smart as I am.

You can have anything, but you won't be as strong as me if you're not as smart as me. That's the way I see it. All those dumb kids at the Ninja Academy, all those dumb Jounin in Ame. All the dumb people I've had to put up with my whole life. They could be stronger than me, or have more money than me, or be better looking than me, but they don't win in the end, because I have one thing above all else that makes me better.

My mind.

And my incredible mind-fuck abilities.

~::~

I apologize if you've found the ending a bit confusing, it'll be explained in the next chapters.

By the way, I'm thinking about changing the summary. Tell me what you think about this:

Why do we always assume that all crows are black? What if we saw that single, white one? When Sakura goes to Konoha for the exams, she triggers the chain of unfortunate events leading to pain, hurt, betrayal and confusion.
But is that it?
"Why, you ask? Because, I'm the white crow."

What do you think?

~Invincible.