In the shadows of the cherry trees.

[Genkai]

Eight years of age.

Eight years of age was when many students started their education at the Academy, that is if they wished to embark on the long treacherous journey of becoming a ninja and serving those of Konohagakure. Eight years old was a young eye opening age for children to decide whether to wield a kunai or stay a simple civilian. There was nothing wrong with not pursuing the ninja way, in fact most villagers didn't become a ninja as they knew how dangerous it was. Yet with peacetime in the region, many families couldn't help but cringe even slightly when their children boasted their dreams of becoming a power ninja. While being a ninja was a noble and refined art to look up to in admiration, most children didn't know the suffering they would have to endure even in peacetime. For Sakura Haruno's parents, they would be very content with their only child becoming a simple bookkeeper or seamstress or teacher. What they didn't wish for her, was to follow in the footsteps of many ninja before her. They didn't wish to see their precious flower dirtied or torn by the harshness of training and combat.

In their mind, Sakura wasn't kunnoichi material. While she was smart and bright for her age, she didn't have a lot of confidence, which was a powerful asset to have under one's belt. And she also didn't have any sort of physical traits which would help in battle or on missions. Sakura wasn't someone who they would approve of if she raised interest in becoming a kunnoichi. And sadly for them, she already had her jade colored eyes set on becoming a strong willed kunnoichi. She had faith in herself even when her parents kept dismissing her interest, insisting she wasn't cut out for it, that she should stick to something safe and simple. But Sakura didn't want safe or simple, she wanted to better herself. She wanted to be able to look at herself in the mirror and not see a shy wallflower who failed at making friends, who failed at speaking up, who failed at everything up books. Sakura spent most of her time reading tales of fantasy and romance, tales that inspired her to reach higher than what was expected of her.

And what better way to expand her thirsty mind than to go to a proper Academy?

So Sakura told her parents her decision and for the entire summer, they kept her on a tight leash, as if insisting to spent time with her which wouldn't be available soon. When summer was coming to a close, Sakura finally manged to wiggle herself out from under her mother's tight thumb and get out of the house. When she was out, she would wander around the Academy, looking at it longingly. She would then continue on, wandering around the large village. She would slow down once in the shopping district and let herself pretend to pick out jewelry for her future self. She would then continue onward toward the park which had a small play ground up on top of the hill overlooking everything. Usually the play ground was packed full of kids her age but for this select summer afternoon, it was fairly vacant as if all parents had put their foot down on their children wandering out on such a lovely day. Sakura wandered over to the swings and hopped on. She pushed herself back and forth for a while, her tiny hands holding onto the chains on either side of her. Sakura wasn't a fool, she knew life would get tough once school began. She would hopefully stay in for all six years and then at the age of fourteen, she would graduate and be placed in a team along with her peers.

She closed her eyes and imagined the sorts of missions she would go on with her future friends. Perhaps they would have to find some secret treasure and bring it back to their home for good fortune? Or perhaps they would have to defeat a large rowdy band of evil doers who were terrorizing innocent people in near by small towns. The ideas were practically endless if one had a wild enough imagination. As she swung by herself, she failed to notice a pack of kids approach her. They were people who Sakura wasn't very familiar with. Her eyes shot open as the first insult hit her ears. They laughed, saying how large her forehead was, how it would blind her teammates in battle, how she would be such an obvious target for enemies, how she would be a terrible kunnoichi. Her grip tightened on the chains and she dug her toes into the sand to stop herself from rocking back and forth. The gang of kids just laughed at her, already noticing her large eyes filling up with tears. Before she could muster up a reply to their jabs, a blond boy called out to them and they shifted their attention to him. Sakura got off the swing and moved to see a blond boy with bright blue eyes defending her.

The crowd faded off until the boy was left. He ran over to Sakura and made sure she was okay. She was quick to reply and thanked him for helping her. She then saw the sun begin to set and said she had to go. He asked her to meet him again tomorrow, to which she just blushed, confused. They quickly shook hands with a delayed introduction and she ran back home, unsure of what to make of the boy named Naruto Uzumaki. When she reached home and dinner was served, she told her parents about the boy who defended her and her mother quickly told her daughter to never cross paths with the demon boy again. Sakura was quite perplexed as to her mother's reaction and tried to get more information. All Sakura was told was that Naruto was a troubled boy, very dangerous and a threat to everyone's peace. With that, Sakura was excused to go up to her room and get ready for bed.

Morning came soon enough and a curious Sakura headed out of her house, intent on thanking the boy properly. Perhaps the rebellious child inside, which she called Inner Sakura, wanted to rock the boat and see what was so bad about the blond kid. She managed to grab a simple flower as a plain and innocent gesture to give to Naruto, hoping he'd understand she was just trying to thank him for sticking up for her. As she walked along, wearing a red tank top and dark blue pants, she wondered when exactly Naruto had wanted her to meet him at the park. She decided it didn't matter and that she had no qualms with spending the entire day there. Again, the day was nice like all those leading up to it. Soon the winds would become a little colder and kids would toss around stories of ghosts and terrible criminals, anything to scare one another. With the amount of reading she did every day, Sakura was likely to just tell a story she had read, rather than recount a myth or make one up at the top of her pretty head.

A trio of birds flew overhead, causing her to lean back toward the blue shy.

Soon she resumed her walk towards the park. She saw her blond acquaintance, Ino Yamanaka in the grass eyeing a bouquet of lilies. Sakura approached her, "What are you looking at?" Sakura asked.

"The flowers." Ino said quickly and looked down to see the simple daisy in Sakura's fist. "Why do you have that ugly thing?"

"What?" Sakura looked to her flower and then back at Ino.

"Do you know what it even means?" Ino questioned. "A daisy means innocence and loyal love. If you want a simply platonic meaning, try a gerbera daisy, they just mean happiness more so than anything else." She explained and stood up from her crouched position. Ino and Sakura were slowly getting to know one another, as Ino's parents ran the Yamanaka Flower Shop which Sakura's father went to fairly often to surprise her mother with something nice and sweet scented. Ino tagged Sakura and they headed off to play on the playground. Ino was much more outgoing than Sakura, which was probably why Sakura wanted to get to know her better, hone in on her secret to being so bold and carefree. Ino was slowly trying to ease Sakura out of her shell but sometimes their varying personalities would result in a fight between them which was why Sakura wouldn't consider Ino a friend too soon due to their clashing of heads from time to time. But Sakura saw Ino as someone who was nice, despite the way Ino could be overly blunt to the point of insult. Sakura didn't have any friends and so she hoped her time with Ino could involve into a friendship, such as the kind she read about in her books of fantasy and adventure.

As the day progressed, many other future classmates gathered in the open playground. Soon a game developed where the group was split up into a team of good nin and bad nin. There wasn't much of an object until Ino spoke up and took off the bandana around her neck and tied it to the monkey bars. She then said that the evil nin group would have to find a way to steal it without getting tagged or caught. Sakura was on Ino's team thankfully and when she gave the call, chaos spilled out over the entire area. Kids were running around chasing one another. Screams of delight and excitement and fear filled the warm air. Sakura couldn't help but shy away from the main source of bedlam but when two boys ran toward her, aiming to get past and take the flag, she stood her ground and managed to tag one of them who headed back to the evil nin side of the playground. The other kid managed to run past her to which Ino took after. When ten minutes ticked by, the game ended and it was the other team's turn to take the flag and defend it. Sakura saw a blond haired boy and a spiky haired boy walking up the hill to them. It was this cue that made Sakura bow out of the next round and hurry to where she put her flower. She looked around and couldn't find it anymore.

Sakura let out a defeated sigh and looked around at the park, not sure that it would be wise to pick anything around her. Sakura felt quite foolish since her gift had gone missing but even so, she decided she could still approach Naruto and his friend and try to explain the intent behind the missing flower. Some of the other kids noticed Naruto's presence and stopped playing to stare at him. Some of them went home while others put more distance between them. Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Ino still trying to rally everyone back to the game they had just started. Sakura just closed the gap and trapped Naruto on the shoulder, as she had approached him from the side out of shyness. "Hey." She said softly. Her pink hair was down, bangs sweeping over her forehead as the rest of her mane reached just about where her jawline was. Sakura looked to his other friend as well but kept her eyes mostly on Naruto. "I wanted to thank you for yesterday." She told him, her voice a bit frayed with nerves. If Ino were within earshot, she would have smacked Sakura upside the head for being "so damn doubtful." Sakura bit her lip, "I had something for you but I sort of lost it around here...it...it wasn't much, just a flower..." She said, blushing a little. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say." She offered a small smile to him.

[Toruun]

Choji, legendary hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War, faced the greatest challenge he’d ever experienced in his Shinobi career. A wave of enemy ninjas marched across the vast, green plains of Kusa, swarming through the tall fields with a bellowing roar. Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa nin charged in their partnered companionship, having formed a desperate alliance for their final assault in a losing war. And at the other end of the field stood a line of valiant guardsmen, prepared to guard the borders into Fire Country with their life. This small group of brave Ninja, emblazoned with the leaf insignia upon their Forehead Protectors, their hitai-ate, had readied themselves to meet the massive allied force in an ultimate clash. They were Konoha’s Third Battalion, the last remaining resistance on the western front. Led by their mysterious Captain and seconded by his right-hand man, Choji Akimichi, they were Konoha’s heralded defenders of justice and glory, the pride of their nation and its last hope.

Appraising the men and women under his command, Choji beamed in satisfaction. These Shinobi were hand-picked by him and the Captain himself; he knew that they were the best, the elite of Konoha’s Ninja force. They would get the job done, no matter the cost.

“I need to go pee!” one of the soldiers exclaimed, waving his hand out in the air.

“Commander, I’m wounded! Permission to retrieve medical support?” Choji heard from his subordinate, yelling for his attention.

Calmly approaching the man, he laid a hand upon the shaking Ninja’s shoulder, smiling at him in sympathy. “I understand. Go, and hurry! We will need you soon.”

He took a moment to glance at the retreating man, but returned his attention to more important matters soon enough. The enemy wave was nearing now; soon, they would clash. Choji glanced towards his Captain, perched upon the top of the hill, staring up at the clouds. He sighed in frustration, scratching the back of his neck. His superior was clearly in one of his moods again— he hoped the officer would snap out of it soon. Returning to his gaze at the encroaching swarm, he took a moment to firmly plant himself to the ground, preparing to spring into action. And when they just entered combat distance, he gave the order to engage.

“ATTACK!” Choji yelled, throwing a fist out into the air. His comrades gave their own shouts of agreement, charging forward to meet their enemies. With several groans, cries, and angry shouts, the battle began.

First came a bespectacled boy, stumbling forward with a stick in hand.

The goggle-clad Shinobi sprinted the distance between them, nimbly crossing the plains as he trailed his sharp katana behind him.

Veteran Choji stood his ground, flashing a hand into his weapons pouch. With a swift pull, he suddenly wielded a set of star-shaped metal in his hands, dexterously setting them into position. Upon the Ninja's widened eyes, he grinned, rapidly flicking his projectile away.

“SHURIKEN NO JUTSU!”

“Ow! Waaah~,” cried the Nin, clutching his bruised knee in pain. Nearby, the wooden ninja star bounced onto the ground, flopping onto the dirt, discarded.

“Water Style: Waterfall Jutsu!”

“Water Style: Bucket Jutsu!”

Choji turned to face the new threat too late, finding himself drenched in the water of a pouring container.

“Agh!” the hero grunted, bracing himself against the fierce downpour of liquid mass. Strengthening chakra to his body, the Konoha shinobi protected himself from most of the damage.

As the last of the water dropped, he manipulated his inner chakra for another assault. Forming handseals not a moment too soon, Choji launched his fierce counterattack.

“Take this! Earth Style: Rock Pellet Jutsu!”

“Stop throwing rocks at me! Ow, ow!” the enemy Shinobi yelled in response, protecting his face from the onslaught of pebbles.

The Ninja barely braced himself against his barrage of boulders, blocking each flying rock with a strong defensive attack. Satisfied that his target was suitably surpressed, Choji returned to fight on the battlefield.

However he soon regretted finding a new target, for he found himself looking at one of the enemy alliance's most feared Ninja.

“Choji! You'll let me pass, right?” a blond-haired girl asked, clad in purple and winking her eyes at him. It was Ino Yamanaka, one of the scariest girls in the world.

“AHHHHH!” he screamed, retreating in a run up the hill. Pausing to catch his breath, he spoke to a pineapple haired boy next to him, laying upon the ground with his hands behind his head.

“Shika-Taichou! We're in some serious trouble here— Ino’s come to take the Will of Fire!” Choji frantically signaled to Shikamaru, pointing at the bandana tied onto the monkey bars.

“Mah…,” was the reply Choji got from the yawning Shikamaru, stretching out his arms.

“We don’t have time for this, Shika!” the chubby boy cried out, still waving towards the advancing blond. “Bah! Come help when you wake up, okay?” Choji said in a panic, running off to rejoin the conflict.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shikamaru replied, sitting up straight. “Ugh, he woke me up. What do I do now?”

“HEY, SHIKAMARU!”

“What?” the pineapple-haired boy asked, looking around curiously. As if to answer his inquiries, a blond boy with spiky hair popped up, waving to him. “Oh, it’s you, Naruto.”

“That’s right!” Naruto beamed, yelling excitedly. “You promised we would play today!”

Yawning in reply, Shikamaru scratched his head. “Did I? Ah…troublesome…”

“I met another friend too! Her name is Sakura and she’s really cool and really nice and I really like her— oh she has pink hair by the way did you know that— and we’re good buddies now and- and”

“Please stop talking,” Shikamaru grumbled, ending the blond’s babbling. He caressed his forehead, already feeling a headache begin to form. “Now start from the beginning. Something about a Sakura?”

“Sakura-chan! She’s really smart and pretty! We’re good friends now— oh you should meet her with me! Come on, let’s go!” Naruto driveled, grabbing Shikamaru’s hand in excitement. With a sudden yank, he pulled the boy off his hill, towards another one nearby.

“Hey, what are yo- ah, whatever. Troublesome…”

The blond dragged them both across the battleground, narrowly avoiding the carnage of stray Jutsu and weaponry. It was with an enthusiastic mood and apathetic disposition that the two reached a pink-haired girl atop the hill.

"Hey." She said softly. Her pink hair was down, bangs sweeping over her forehead as the rest of her mane reached just about where her jawline was. Sakura looked to his other friend as well but kept her eyes mostly on Naruto. "I wanted to thank you for yesterday." She told him, her voice a bit frayed with nerves. If Ino were within earshot, she would have smacked Sakura upside the head for being "so damn doubtful." Sakura bit her lip, "I had something for you but I sort of lost it around here...it...it wasn't much, just a flower..." She said, blushing a little. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say." She offered a small smile to him.

Naruto's mouth opened in reply, forming an 'o' in his shock. However, it soon turned into a full-blown grin, nearly impossibly wide in its diameter.

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" he yelled out, pulling the pink-haired girl into a close hug, squeezing her as tightly as he could. "You're the best!"

Meanwhile Shikamaru, uncaring with his hands inside his pockets, sighed at Naruto's reaction. "Troublesome...ne, Naruto, I think she's starting to suffocate. Would you let her go?"

[Genkai]

The boy's response made her ears ring a little but as she was about to dismiss it, she found herself being pulled into a very tight embrace. Seeing as she wasn't prepared for one, her lungs felt as though they might give out at any moment. She let out a small 'eep' and found she couldn't even move her arms to push the kid off of her. She didn't even know what to say to his thank you as she had been the one to thank him and so far it wasn't going as planned. Thankfully for her, a boy beside Naruto managed to get him to release her. She stumbled back and put a hand to her chest, trying to breath normally again. She panted softly and the color returned to her face. Clearly the blond, Naruto, was pretty enthused with her around even without some dinky floral accessory. Sakura formed a small smile and then looked to the boy who helped soothe Naruto's wildness. "Thanks for that." She told him casually and looked around. "I think Ino is in the middle of that game but we can still join if you'd like." Sakura invited, while she would much rather sit out and do read or something, it did seem like a valuable thing, to build up one's relations around your peers. It seemed like the spiky haired boy wasn't too interested but Naruto seemed to coax him into it. When they joined the game people took notice of Naruto and it seemed to disband itself, partly to Sakura's joy while Ino didn't look pleased one bit and manage to yell at everyone who just left without notice.

"So maybe tomorrow would be a better time...Like maybe noon?" Sakura suggested.

It seemed okay with the others and she nodded. "Okay well bye." She said and headed off with Ino. Sakura walked with Ino until they reached the flower shop. The two parted and Sakura continued to head on home. The day wasn't very late but even so, when she arrived home, her parents were worried about her. She didn't mention Naruto this time and just gave minimal details that she was at the park with Ino and some other kids. In a sense, that wasn't a lie and Sakura didn't need to feel too bad about it. Dinner was made and quickly consumed and Sakura headed up to her room. She spent the rest of the time awake, reading and doing some writing of what she had read so it would be better committed to her memory. She wondered why people didn't like Naruto. It was something she couldn't help but take notice of. Even so, he did seem to have some friends which meant he couldn't be so bad. Somehow, she had a feeling that her curiosity wouldn't be quelled by reading so she pushed her things to the side of her desk and spent the rest of the time before bed doodling a little. Sakura managed to create a small photo of everyone at the playground. Ino was of course in the middle of chaos like some queen while the others were around. Sakura even managed to include Naruto and his friend, who she didn't even know the name of.

Because her parents seem to know Naruto, she wondered if they knew the other boy as well. Her hesitance to bring it up outweighed her curiosity though and she went to bed without finding any new answers. Sakura's dreams were pretty much bits of how the day had been. She pictured herself older, more beautiful and with plenty of people. She saw herself as lean, her hair long and tied back with her ninja headband. She saw herself preforming many strong jutsu and saving lives alongside Ino and even Naruto. When morning came, Sakura woke up with a small smile and got ready for the day, dressing in attire similar to the day ago. She hopped downstairs and had a quiet breakfast with little conversation. Her mother brought up the Academy which made her daughter sit up a bit straighter. Sakura soon finished eating and saw it was half past ten which gave her time to do things before she had to meet her friends at the park. Sakura spent time with her mother cleaning the house and running errands around town. When it was almost noon, Sakura asked if she could go to the park. Thankfully her mother agreed and Sakura hurried out the door and ran towards the park.

Arriving at her destination, she bent over and caught her breath. Not many others were around and she noticed Naruto and his friend weren't around either. Sakura stood up and headed over to a bench and sat down on it. The day was nice, the grass was lush and the sky was clear with only a few low hanging puffy clouds. Looking around, she couldn't help but become a little discouraged at the situation at hand. She swung her legs back and forth, not touching the grass as she did so. From behind her, she heard some younger kids with their parents eating lunch. Then she considered that noon may have been a poor time to plan a meet up. Sakura hopped down from her bench and couldn't help but put on a frown. She considered that Ino was busy with her family for the day and she had nothing to do herself. Sakura was about to go when she spotted someone in the grass. She walked over and realized it was the boy from the day before, the one who helped get Naruto off of her so she didn't pass out. She didn't say anything and just took a seat next time. He appeared to be looking at something but she wasn't sure what. She leaned her head back and saw nothing but clouds. This earned a puzzled look from her as she sat back a bit, her arms behind her to support her. "What are you looking at?" She asked him.