Sakura Haruno: The Prodigy

21

Imagine they're smaller and Sakura still has her mask and her jounin clothes.
One minute Sakura found herself in the Hokage's office ,and the next minute she was surrounded by the Uchiha clan, their heads bowed in respect and mourning. Kakashi stood next to her on the sidelines, looking down at the ground. She could feel their eyes piercing through her body. She stared at the casket that contained her comrade's body. She had never hoped for him to jump out with his smile, hug her tight that she almost lost her breath, ruffle her hair, poke her forehead, or give her a dango. She stared at the casket, hoping one of those things happened, but she knew it wouldn't. She never felt her heart hurt so much, or her eyes burning. Her body was slightly shaking ,but she stayed as still as she could. Kakashi turned to look at her, and turned to look at the casket. 'This is what bonds do to you. They only hurt you in the end.'

Itachi stood next to his family. He stared at the casket of his best friend, a brother to him, his cousin, and the only one who truly understood him. He was holding Sasuke's small hand, and felt his mother's hand on his shoulders. "Sakura has the Sharingan," Fugaku softly muttered in a hard tone, and Itachi froze. "Then .. that means that.." Mikoto let out a frown, "Yes, Itachi. Knowing Sakura and Shisui's friendship, the obvious reason is that Shisui gave it to her." Itachi looked at Sasuke who stood perfectly still, looking down at the ground. Itachi knew that Sasuke wasn't close to Shisui, but he still came to support his brother and pay his respects for a great shinobi. He looked at Sakura, who was on the opposite side of him. He shook his head and waited for everyone to leave. After 30 minutes only 6 people were left, Sakura and Kakashi along with the main Uchiha family. Sasuke stared as Kakashi put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura looked defeated, like if she had lost a battle. "Hatake," Fugaku announced ,and Kakashi turned to look at him. Sakura kept looking at the casket, but turned in the last minute to face them.

Itachi quickly analyzed Sakura's face, looking for any signs of tears. He saw none, but as he looked into her eyes, he could see the sadness in them. They were filled with pain and sadness ,and he quickly looked away and stared forward, holding on to Sasuke's small hand. Mikoto sadly stared at the small pinkette, and Fugaku raised his chin. "Sakura, you now have the Sharingan. Shisui's Sharingan, now tell me. Why did he die in this mission?" Sakura tensed but quickly went back to the usual Hatake relaxed posture. "That is classified information, sir," she said in a neutral tone. Sasuke took a step forward, but was pulled back by Itachi. Fugaku frowned at that, knowing she was right. "Do you know the advantages you now have with that eye. The enemies that will go after you. Not to mention, that you are the vessel of the nine tails. The Fox demon. People are already afraid of you and call you a monster. A perfect weapon, that the council elders won't hesitate to greedily latch on," Fugaku said and looked her in the eye. Itachi stared at his father with a calculating stare, while Mikoto frowned at the words he was saying.

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, not liking where the conversation was going. Sakura stared at the clan leader. He was a man she respected ,and she would always respect him, but he was also a man that made choices for his clan. "With all due respect sir, the last person that called me a monster was a villager. It doesn't matter to me if they fear me. It doesn't matter to me if I am used as a weapon," Sakura looked up and met Fugaku's calculating stare, "I do not care what happens to me." She bowed and walked away, stopping to look at the casket one more time, before walking away. Kakashi let out a soft sigh and ran to her, walking in a slow pace as he reached her side. Fugaku could only stare at their retreating backs.

Night came and Itachi was in Shisui's room, putting away his best friend's belonging in a box. He had cleaned out everything except for the small cabinet that was next to Shisui's bed. He walked to it and only saw a folded paper, a photograph, and a small box. He grabbed the the two items and closed the small cabinet. He opened the paper and saw writing on it. "Maybe it's a letter," he muttered to himself and sat on the clean bed, reading it to himself.

Dear Sakura-Chan,
Wow! You're getting old now. In some years you'll be 12 soon, and I'll have to fight off every boy that dares to look at you. Anyways you probably found this letter taped to your window, don't ask how I did that. I have my ways. Well I know not many know of your birthday , but it is an important date that I always remember. I got you a small gift, since I know you secretly adore me. Don't worry I'm getting ready to run, once you read this letter. But today is a special day, you were born! I know you call me weird and think I'm a bit annoying, but I know that you care for me. I am happy, but enough about me. There is a small box under the tree that is next to your house and a small gift inside. I want you to wear it, and I'll explain what it means when you meet up with me. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to , but it would mean a lot to me. I'm going to drag you around to so many places in the village, that you'll end up having to tie me up to leave you alone, but that won't work since I can always use Substitution Jutsu. Happy Birthday, Sakura-Chan!
With love and from your favorite person,
Shisui Uchiha.

Itachi let out a breath and sadly smiled. Shisui loved the small pinkette, as if they were related by blood. He neatly folded the letter and looked at the photograph. He wanted to open the gift, but he left it alone and gently grabbed it in his hands. He looked at the photograph and immediately let out a sad smile.