Back in time

Chapter 2

Even in her teens, Sakura's parents never really understands her decision to become a kunoichi.

Back when Sakura is six, she is mostly friendless and even she can admit that her self-esteem issues have self-esteem issues. Contrary to popular belief, she did not enter the Academy for Sasuke, whom she didn't even know or take much notice of until a few years in. It wasn't even for Ino, whom she didn't meet until her first year in the Academy.

The first reason – the only reason back then – she wants to become a kunoichi is because she hates the way the other civilian children tease her. She is bookish and reserved, never the most outspoken child, so making friends when she is so quiet and has pink hair to boot is difficult at best. She has begged her parents to enroll her in the Academy; surely the ninja she has heard of, with their different techniques and different backgrounds, will not make her stand out so much.

Of course, that doesn't happen; she is still teased, but it remains the best choice she has ever made.

But in that timeline, Sakura does not bring up her desire to become a kunoichi with her parents until she is six. She is four now and she isn't sure how to breach the subject with them.

In her time, they are always supportive, always trying to understand her world, but Sakura still drifts from them eventually. She did not visit her parents for close to a year before they are killed by enemy-nin; she cries at their funeral – tracing Haruno Kazuki and Haruno Saki on the tombstone over and over again – and never even tells her team why she comes to training with red-rimmed eyes the next day. She swears she will not put a wall between herself and her family this time.

So she tries to be discreet. She brings up questions about ninja and what they do. She mentions a newfound interest in medicine and healing. She asks about Tsunade, whom even civilians all know about.

Sakura is smart and she can be perceptive; she gets both from her parents so it isn't long before she catches them exchanging worried glances behind her back. She does not want to put them through the anxiety and fear of losing a daughter but she is a Konoha-nin and Naruto's head medic first and foremost. She promised her surrogate brother that she will fix this, give her village a better future, and she will not fail.

She manages to beg her parents to let her roam for a few hours among the busier streets of Konoha while they are at work one day, with Maki-san watching over her. Her next-door neighbour looks uncertain when Sakura purchases a set of shuriken but Sakura can be charming when she wants to be and her big green eyes and bubbly smile win the woman over.

Later, Sakura deliberately leaves out a few shuriken on her dresser before going to take a shower. When she returns, she finds her mother sitting on her bed and staring blankly at the weapons. Sakura feels like a cruel daughter.

Her mother musters a smile for her though and says nothing about the shuriken. If her goodnight hug for Sakura that night is a little tighter than usual, neither of them say anything.

~T~

But Sakura is four and any average child who wants to enter the Academy has to be six. She cannot wait that long. She knows she must get the attention of a Chuunin or a Jounin. What better way to do that than use her in with Ino? She feels slightly guilty about using their friendship to get Inoichi's attention but she is a ninja so she dismisses the remorse and steels herself with the knowledge that Ino would've done the same thing in her position.

In the end though, this turns out to be unnecessary. It is not Inoichi who takes an interest in Sakura first.

~E~

It is almost two months since she has come back – and her fifth birthday is coming up fast – and after a week of acting restless around her parents and looking longingly at the public library when she accompanies her mother to the market on weekends, they finally relent and drop her off at the library before they go off to work, making her promise that she will stay on the busy streets when she goes for lunch or a snack or just a walk.