Fate Wheel | Naruto

𝟏𝟕| Mystery

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
— Winston Churchill

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SAKURA

She was eight years old when her parents first told her to quit her aspirations as a future Kunoichi.

Sakura foreshadowed the outcome, she had always been smothered by her parents' care and affection and, of course, she was grateful to have such loving parents. It was when they started having doubts, that she started having some of her own. Was she really capable of keeping up with her teammates or will she be the factor that drags them down? Was she really worth the praise Kakashi Sensei had given her? Will she ever stop hiding in the shadows and be in the sunlight?

Sasuke had always been someone she had her eyes on, not because she knew him, but because she likes to pretend she knows enough about him. Who wouldn't like him? He was perfect in her eyes, he was handsome, he was smart, he was every girl's dream boy. But in his eyes, nothing else matters to him other than himself. Was she stupid in chasing such an unrequited love as to have forgotten her own self-worth? Well, yes. Perhaps that's why she hadn't been acknowledged by her parents as someone who is capable of handling herself, because she was consumed by such pretences that she didn't know what it meant to truly be her own person and not follow everyone else.

Ino was her best-friend who she often squabbled with over their love for fashion and boys, it was all they ever had in common. The blonde girl wasn't one for taking things seriously, at least that's what she had shown Sakura. And the cherry-blossom haired girl was bound to walk down her own path.

But where could she start to walk?

And then there were her teammates. Naruto was annoying and didn't know when to shut up, he was obnoxious and so full of himself. Anyone would be if they were the son of the Hokage, said to be the strongest in all the Village. So there had to be a quality of him that had naturally induced talent. Dawn was a completely different topic. She didn't know what to think of her. She was a walking mystery who rarely spoke about herself or her abilities, she was closed off and nothing like anyone she had ever seen before.

Back in the Academy, Sakura could clearly remember when she was first admitted- later than any other kid their age. Rumours spread like a wild fire, Ino had started an embellished rumour that she was a rebellious brat who ran away from home and then got caught up in a cross-fire which resulted to her supposed injuries. Even Sakura found it ridiculous, but Dawn never retaliated or confirmed anything. It was as though she didn't care and if she was being brutally honest, she'd say that speaking to her was like conversing with a brick wall. You couldn't get a reaction out of her.

That was until earlier on, when she was told to find her and bring her to the room Kakashi Sensei was resting in. Looking into her eyes was like watching an internal storm reach it's peek, before everything went deathly still. That was when Sakura realised there was more to her that reached the eye, that to truly discover who she was would be like trying to complete a puzzle with missing pieces: Impossible.

Her green eyes fluttered shut from exhaustion, she managed to catch onto the whole 'tree-climbing' task, but it sure made her feel drained to the brink.

"Say... Sakura?" She opened her eyes groggily, staring at the blond-in-the-orange-jumpsuit perplexed. "Mind giving me some pointers? I'm kinda struggling and I thought you could help."

Naruto's eyes were pleadingly wide and desperate. She'd feel horrible if she were to deny his request. Sighing, she sat up straight.

"Well... I'm not one for giving good advice but..." she looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "I'd say for you, the key is to relax really. Don't think of this as a chore, but something you do daily. Once you grasp onto that concept, it's pretty easy. That, and I'm pretty sure you're not applying enough chakra, try applying a little more but not too much. Just the right amount." She shrugged, offering a lop-sided smile.