Sasuke-Sempai

Summary: The Haruno family had a miscarriage the first time they were to have a child, and when Saki Haruno becomes pregnant two years later, she gives birth to a baby girl with petal pink hair and bottle green eyes, Sakura Haruno. How does age change the Naruto time-line? How does the loss of one child, change the way one daughter is raised? Or how the little girl turns out?

Anime: Naruto

Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Rating: M

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A RIVAL IN YOU!

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With every passing moment, a new obstacle impaired what little dream she had of the future. However, Saki also knew that each obstacle could not be erased from the timeline that had been set into motion long before her own birth or even that of her parents and their parents. This was all apart of fate, and she would take it in stride. Now, with the passing of five years, Saki is the proud civilian mother of two. Her daughter, Sakura, and her adopted son, Naruto; both of which had set their sights beyond any horizon seen in Konoha, with every intention of surpassing the Nin in their village, or...in Naruto's case, surpassing the Nin in his village and becoming the next Hokage...Believe It~

"Naruto~! Wake up!" Sakura cried out cheerfully as she shook her older brother awake. "It's time for school!" Sakura had become a favorite in the village for success, since she was trained by many of the greater Jounin of the village.

"Waaa~ I'm up, I'm up!" Naruto yawned loudly and sat up, pushing Sakura back gently to get out of bed and stretch. "Where's mom, she usually wakes us both up."

"Mom left earlier, she had errands. We have to hurry or we'll be late! Today is the day you are put into a team...Lucky!"

Naruto blinked blankly for a moment as he tried to clear away the sleep in his eyes. His sister was almost always the last to wake up in their household. He on the other hand, normally had no problem getting up. The difference with today? "I should have gone to bed on time, instead of staying up to get in a few extra hours of practice. I'm wiped out."

Sakura laughed, "Today starts the next chapter of our life, Naruto. Get dressed quickly." She ran out of the room and downstairs to eat breakfast, which was nothing special. A bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice was her normal breakfast routine.

She turned at the sound of footsteps running down the staircase. Smiling as he brother ruffled her pink locks, she quickly shook her head and laughed as her hair fell over her eyes in a ruffian manner. "Hurry up," She finished eating quickly before pulling on her shoes and leaving with her school bag over her shoulder.

Naruto shook his head as he picked the bowl up off the table and put it in the sink, downing a glass of milk, he grabbed a banana and his bag before following his little sister out the house.

-x-x-x-

Sakura walked inside the academy and made her way to her classroom where one of her closest friends sat reading a book of an unknown topic. "Hanabi~!" She was two years younger than Sakura, but the girl came to listen to the lectures despite not being allowed to participate in the class. The instructors had no problem with her listening in, so long as she didn't partake in lessons or tests and exams.

"Sakura, aren't you supposed to be in Hinata's class and your brothers?"

Sakura frowned, "Hm?"

"Haruno!"

Sakura's head snapped up and she looked curiously to her instructor, "Yes Sensei?"

"Go to the Advance class."

"...why?"

"Iruka needed another student, he had an odd number of students for a three man team and you have the highest scores next to the advanced class. I had to discuss it with the Hokage first, and while Iruka was initially against it, you know how to do most of what the advanced class does due to Naruto teaching you, along with the help of many other high ranking nin in Konoha, mainly Kakashi."

Sakura was, to say the least, shocked. She turned and ran out of the classroom, leaving behind a smiling instructor and curious Hanabi who turned back to her book without much thought.

Entering the room, she smiled as she saw her brother sitting next to a guy with black spiked hair and charcoal black eyes. Making her way to her brother, she tapped him on the shoulder and watched him turn curiously to her.

"Sakura! What are you doing here?"

The classes attention was now on her due to her brothers loud outburst, but she didn't care really. "Instructed to come here, can I sit in this spot, or are the seats assigned."

"Assigned, but no one sits there anyways, so you can take it. Oh, Sasuke," Naruto turned to the guy beside him, "This is my sister, you haven't actually met her yet, have you?"

Sasuke shook his head no, nodding his head in her direction, he didn't say much, but he showed his respect by inclining his head in acknowledgement.

Iruka walked in with a clipboard and what looked like a list of names on it. "Everyone, today you will be placed in groups of three, part of a three man team with your own teacher. Only a few of you will go on to be Nin, otherwise, you will return back here to retake certain courses. Now, pay close attention and I will call out your squad number and teammates. Squad Seven, Naruto Haruno-Uzumaki."

Sakura listened carefully as the instructor called out her brother's name.

"Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Sakura Haruno," Iruka called, "While you will be participating as a member of a three man team, if you find this to be too difficult tell the team instructor."

"Will that reflect my team?"

"...well, while they would return to the academy under the circumstance that you can't perform to standard Genin level, that isn't saying we can't make them into a team at a later date."

"I will not be complaining, I will just get better that whatever level you see me at...until I surpass the standard Genin level."

Iruka stared in stunned silence at the nine year old. "Right...Squad eight, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburama...Squad nine, Tobio Mitarashi, Kino Sirashi, and Yanta Yamura. Squad Ten will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi. These are all the squads. Your instructors should be along soon to meet with you and talk with you, I wish you all luck. Sakura Haruno, if you could follow me, before you are allowed to continue as a member of Squad Seven, you need to pass the same test as the rest of the Genin."

Sakura nodded and followed Iruka out of the room.

-x-x-x-

Sakura walked into another room, the voice of her mom met her ears and she frowned as she listened to the conversation. Iruka was readying papers while they waited for the other instructors to come in.

"She's too young; you can't really expect her to be ready for this!"

"The choice of Genin is Sakura's. Should she choose to partake in this exam, then she's obviously made the choice to follow her father's footsteps as well as her adoptive brothers."

"That is what I'm afraid of. She'll be killed! She's too weak to go on missions and such nonsense! She's just a child!"

Sakura opened the door leading to the voices and glared at her mom who was standing in surprise in front of the Hokage. "Is that what you think?!" Sakura asked heatedly. "You think I'm weak! I'm some frail little girl that can't take care of herself...I will show you that I'm not. I'm stronger than you think."

"But Sakura, don't you want to do something better than this? Anything, a nurse, a doctor...you could save lives!"

"This saves lives!"

"THIS KILLS!"

Sakura glared at her mother fiercely, a look her mom was unfamiliar with. "This isn't your choice,"

"You are my daughter!"

"Stop treating me like I'm a baby! I'm nine now and I don't need you to baby me anymore!"

Her mother stepped back, as if slapped. This was exactly why she was babying her daughter. She was only nine...only nine, for Kami's sake! She was going to throw her life away, and die...like her father...

"Sakura, the exam is starting, in here please."

Saki watched as her daughter turned her back to her and left to the other room.

-x-x-x-

Sakura gazed down at her new headband and sighed. She was a Genin now...but really, at what cost. Her mother, she loved her so much, but she was suffocating her. Not paying attention, she ran into something and looked to see Hanabi looking at her strangely.

"Why are you so dazed?"

"Ah...lost in thought. Hanabi, if you had to choose between being a Konoha Nin, or throwing the Ninja life away for your family, what would you choose?"

Hanabi tilted her head down in thought before looking Sakura straight in the eyes with those always emotionless eyes.

"I think it depends greatly on the situation. If being a ninja was damaging to my family, or would cause them harm in some way...I probably wouldn't. However, if it was because they simply didn't want me to get hurt or something silly like that...I would do all that I could to reassure them that I was okay and I would be fine. I would become a ninja, and train resiliently at being the best that I could."

Sakura smiled, "You aren't really seven, are you."

A small smile graced Hanabi's lips before it was quickly replaced with the normal look of thought and concentration. "You got into another argument with your mother, didn't you."

This wasn't a question. Sakura knew this girl well. She was extremely insightful, and more than her older sister, she was gifted with a sense of inner strength that Sakura had always envied. "Yeah...kind of."

"You okay?"

"This is nothing..."

Hanabi eyed her for a moment before nodding, "If you need to talk...you know my address."

Sakura laughed at that slightly. She'd be hard pressed to find somebody, anybody, who didn't know the younger girls address. Her family name was only known all over the Elemental Nations.

Watching Hanabi leave, she closed her eyes and headed back to the classroom. She opened the door and ducked under a falling chalkboard eraser, turning in time to see a hand reach out and catch it before it hit the ground.

"..."

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura grinned, she was always happy to see him. He would occasionally watch her while she was still just a toddler and child. He had taught her more than this Academy could have ever. Not just fancy moves or being light on her feet, he taught her to stand up for herself. He taught her to make her own choices, with reservation to ones-self. He taught her perseverance...and she took it all in.

"Naruto..." Kakashi turned to look at the blonde, throwing the chalkboard eraser at the kid who jumped and flipped over his desk and out of the way of the eraser. He wasn't paying any attention however, to where he was stepping when he landed, and stepped on the corner of a chair, successfully tilting it and causing it to tumble and fall with him crashing into the desks scattered around him.

"Idiot..." Sasuke shook his head.

Sakura stared for a moment before turning to Kakashi, "Will you be our instructor?"

"That's what they told me...I'm starting to have my doubts." He eyed the dizzily standing Naruto who was rubbing at a sore back now. "We will see how tomorrow goes...for now, meet me up on top of the roof. We can all get...acquainted there."

Smiling, Sakura and Naruto raced out the room where Sasuke made his way out the window and up along the building. The first to arrive was obviously Kakashi, with Sasuke next. Sakura and Naruto took the racing route, never the type to miss a contest."

"FIRST!" Naruto cheered and laughed.

Sakura sighed and pouted before sending a nicely executed sweep kick to her brothers ankles, bringing him down without much difficulty before walking up to Sasuke and Kakashi. "How about that 'acquainted' stuff you talked about."

Kakashi sighed, 'These two are going to kill me...or one another...whichever comes first.' Shaking his head, he cleared his throat to gather their attention back on him. "How about we all introduce ourselves and tell everyone a little bit about one another."

"We know one another." Naruto commented as he sat cross-legged beside Sakura.

"...humor me."

Sakura frowned, "What should we say?" She brushed a lock of pink hair from her eyes as it fell into her sight with the gentle kiss of wind.

"Things you like, things you hate...your name might be a good start. Hobbies, if you have any, dreams and hopes for the future, if you have planned that far ahead..."

Naruto nodded, "Well, everyone already knows my name, Naruto Haruno-Uzumaki! I like Instant Raman, and training in my free time. I enjoy causing mayhem for the Hokage's personal Ninja squadron...Ha, that's always fun! I don't like being ignored, and I don't like being talked about behind my back! If someone's got somethin' to say, then they can say it to my face! My hobbies are training and trying different Raman, I also try to push myself past my limits...hearing things like, "it's too difficult, Naruto" or, "when you are older, Naruto" are the type of things I ignore and fight to surpass. Oh...I drag Sakura along to train too." Naruto grinned. "As for my Dream?"

Sakura turned her attention to her brother and smiled. "Naruto is going to be the next Hokage."

"Believe it!" He smiled as he held his fingers out in a V for Victory sign.

"...I see, that dream hasn't short-circuited yet, huh?"

"Not gonna happen!" Naruto stood up and pointed at Kakashi, "You and everyone else in this village will see that I can and will protect this village, with my life, for all that it may be worth. I will make the world see me for who I am...and not whatever they think I am."

"..." Kakashi nodded, 'He's grown rather impressively. Nothing like the way he would have had he still been left alone, I imagine.' Kakashi turned to Sasuke next, "What about you, anything really interesting?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, there are few things that I like, and even more that I don't...my hobbies aren't up for discussion, and my goal is none of your business."

Sakura looked curiously at the older boy with the depressing look in his eyes. "You can't seriously think that you are going to keep to yourself forever, can you?"

"That's exactly what I think," He said in an end-of-discussion tone.

"Right, let's wrap this up, you're next Sakura."

"Well, my name is Sakura Haruno...My hobbies are studying and training. If I'm not doing one of those two things, I'm almost always with Hanabi."

"The younger sister of Hyuuga?"

"..." Sakura frowned at Sasuke's vague question, "Well, the younger sister of Hinata. If that's what you mean then yes. Anyways, I don't like being told I can't do something, it only pushes me to do whatever I'm told that I can't do, even more. I like to think of myself as my own person, and I don't like the idea of being held back, not by anyone. I don't have any dreams or goals for the future. I like strawberries and flowers, and I like gardening...and art...I don't like screaming. Um...I guess that's it."

"What about you Sensei? Anything for the masses?"

Kakashi raised a brow at the rambunctious blonde, "Kakashi Hatake, I like stuff, hate stuff, have a few hobbies, no goals really, no dream for the future."

"..."

Sakura sighed but said nothing to challenge her instructor.

"I want you to all meet me on the bridge at seven in the morning, be there at exactly sevenm or don't bother showing up at all."

"Wait, do we need anything?"

Kakashi stood and shook his head negatively, "No, and don't bother eating either, you'll only get sick."

With that said, he disappeared.

"...Well, there you go." Sakura scoffed, "I'm going to go jogging, I don't want to go home yet."

Sasuke and Naruto both turned to Sakura.

"Wait, did you get into another fight with mom?"

She didn't reply, but then, she didn't deny it either.

"Sakura!"

"She wanted me to throw this team away, she was trying to talk the Hokage into taking me off the team, you and Sasuke would have also gone back to the Academy, Naruto!"

That shut him up.

"Why doesn't she want you on the team?"

"I don't know, she's always been against me being a Kunoichi. I think it has something to do with my dad."

"What happened to your dad?" Sasuke questioned curiously.

Sakura quickly countered with her own query, "What's your goal for the future?"

"..." Sasuke stood up and left the siblings alone and Sakura merely shrugged. If he wanted something from her, information no less, then he'd have to give something in return; an eye for an eye, or so they say.

Naruto sighed, "I'll see you at home then, but don't be out too late. Mom worries enough as it is, and I do too."

"Right, see you later!" She ran and jumped the building, enjoying the brush of the wind against her body before she braced herself and landed with practiced ease. "From treetops to rooftops, next...a mountain~!" Quickly, she took off into a run towards the forest and started jumping branch to branch in an attempt to let off some steam. Jumping the distance of one tree to another, she hadn't really measured the distance and was too far to make the jump as she fell into a roll on the ground before rolling into a stand.

"WATCH OUT!"

Sakura glanced back and watched a Kunai fly right at her. Quick reflexes and over a hundred mistakes with her own Kunai's and her brothers sometimes faulty throwing, had her back flipping out of the way of the sharp weapon. 'Way too close...!' She straightened back up and sighed before looking to see who had yelled. A girl she had never seen before stood with twin buns on either side of her head, and next to her was a boy with a green jumpsuit and bowl cut hairstyle. "Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going!" She bowed low, showing her apology through her actions. She hadn't meant to interrupt them from their training.

"No, it's just as much our fault as it was yours. We should have been able to hear you coming."

"Yeah, you wouldn't be the first I've gotten past unnoticed...Kakashi-Sensei is always saying that I have the footfalls of a phantom." Sakura laughed a little. "I should be going though, sorry again."

She made to leave when a hand stopped. She turned to see a boy who looked much like Hanabi, the Hyuuga eyes were not hard to identify. "Oh...who are you?" She shook her head, "Actually, I don't care about your name,...where did you come from?"

"Who are you?"

"..." Sakura frowned, 'He ignored me.' Turning to face him completely, she looked him over before her eyes locked on to his. "I think I asked you a question first."

"Your sense of awareness is lacking, now who are you."

"Sakura Haruno,"

"...you should do something about that hair of yours, it's a menace. Complete devoid of any reasoning behind it."

Sakura wanted to kill him. She didn't know his name, she didn't even care about it; she wanted to beat this guy up! "What is that supposed to mean!"

"...the length is too long, it'll get caught on trees if it isn't tied up properly, or at least tied out of the way. The color is just a beacon for enemies. Like saying, "here I am, come and kill me"...you are hazardous to this village as a ninja."

Knowing it was pointless to argue with a Hyuuga, she just glared and jumped off into a tree before running to find her Sensei. She would make sure that boy regretted his words. After insulting her lack of awareness and then her looks...he had to comment on her being a hazard as a Kunoichi...he had no right!

This is what she was training for, giving her life for. Not in the literal sense, but in that...she was risking her ties with her mom. She wouldn't let some kid she didn't even know tell her that she was a hazard.

"Sensei!" Sakura ran up the steps to an apartment and knocked hard on a door. It was pointless, she knew he never opened the door, so without even waiting for the door to open, she ran back out, climbed and jumped to the window on the third floor, and knocked again. "Uncle Kakashi!"

The blinds were raised and Kakashi slid the window open as he looked curiously at the nine year old pinkette. "Why are you so excited?"

"Uncle Kakashi! Train me in a special technique!"

"...go home Sakura. You need to get up early tomorrow."

Sakura placed her hand on the window to keep it from closing and looked up desperately at her Uncle. "Please...just train me a little, I need to get better..."

He sighed before stepping aside and letting her in. "Does this have anything to do with your mom? I heard about the dispute from the Hokage."

"...that...among other things."

"Tell me."

Sakura sat down on his couch and picked up one of the many books stacked on the coffee table in front of her. "I wanted to do my best...so that she wouldn't worry about me..."

"Understandable..."

"She doesn't get it though. She thinks she can control my every move. Dad died awhile after my birth...to a mission...and I am taking the brunt of it because now, all she thinks will happen is I will die. She seems positive that I will die."

"She's just worried. I have known them for a long time, Sakura...there is more to the story."

"Then tell me!"

Kakashi looked at her for a few moments before sighing, "You're mother, Saki, and your father Hayato-"

"Is that his name?"

"..."

Sakura blushed, "Mom never mentions him by name...just says "your father"...I didn't know his name."

Kakashi shook his head, "She is doing her best, Sakura..."

She didn't add anything to that, instead, she listened.

"They arrived at Konoha in less than ideal circumstances. Your mother and father had been attacked while Saki was pregnant..."

"They arrived almost ten years ago then?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Almost twelve years ago...you should have been a younger sister, you should have had an older sister...but Saki had been injured and the baby had been lost to a miscarriage."

Sakura shook her head, she had never heard of this before.

"Saki was told that the chance of her ever having a child again were slim to none, and then...she had you, and she became protective of you...more than most mothers were, perhaps, but she was scared she might lose you...then she lost your father, all she had left, was you."

Sakura closed her eyes tightly..." I will be a Kunoichi! The best Kunoichi Konoha has ever seen!"

Kakashi watched as her eyes snapped open, a fire of determination burning brightly within them.

"I won't let her have any reason to be afraid anymore!"

With that said, she was out the window, gone. He just stared blankly at the book she'd dropped back onto the other books and shrugged his shoulders.

-x-x-x-

Sakura found the boy from earlier relatively easily. Jumping down in front of him, she stared him dead in the eyes before pointing a finger at him, "Fight me!"

"A short little girl like you won't be much of a challenge."

"Neji..." the girl said in a soft voice, as if reprimanding him for the jab at Sakura's petit form.

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!" She hated that. She had always been small for her age, and it was annoying that everyone seemed to enjoy noticing her lack in height. She ran at the boy and made to kick him, but he easily dodged her foot.

"You shouldn't embarrass yourself like this," Neji said.

"Just give up. He's too strong for you; you're just a kid..."

"Neji is indeed a gifted ninja, one of the best Genin in Konoha."

Sakura blocked a kick to her chest and pushed him back with all the force she could. She was small, and not really strong brute force wise. However, she was quick on her feet, and extremely smart. She flipped back and charged again, ducking left, twisting back, she delivered a kick to his shoulder before narrowly avoiding a knife hand strike to the back of her neck. She brought her fist back and clipped him on the cheek as he was quick on his own feet and jumped back. Both stared at one another for a good few seconds before Sakura finally spoke, "I will never give up..."

"..."

"My hair, my eyes, my size...choose what you will, and continue your hurtful remarks on my person, but I will continue to fight, I will get stronger, and I will become someone Konoha will be proud to call a Kunoichi of the Hidden Village of the Leaf!" Once again, the two were fighting. She could tell that Neji was only dodging, he wasn't paying any attention to her, was he really so good?! "FIGHT ME SERIOUSLY!"

"N-Neji...father wants...a-a word with you."

The fight stopped, everyone turned to see Hinata Hyuuga, the Hyuuga Heiress, standing nervously by a tree. She looked uncertainly between Sakura and Neji.

"If you will excuse me," Neji bowed politely, turning to his friends, "I'll see you both tomorrow at five."

Sakura watched him leave with Hinata following close behind. "...Hyuuga..." She would do all that she could to prove to him that she would not be hazardous to Konoha.

-x-x-x-

ME: Hope you all enjoyed this...extremely long chapter, I'll update when I get the chance! LOVE YOU GUYS, leave me a review if you have the time!