Chapter 3
2 months earlier
Sakura sighed in frustration. A sigh that would make any person stop in their track and be worried. It had been two weeks Sakura noticed a weird pattern in her team dynamics.
Well first, Kakashi always came late about 3 hours so she was able to use that to work extra in the hospital.
That wasn't an issue for her.
But still despite that Kakashi would waste their time like that. It's like he never took them...seriously. They were like his cute little juniors that's it. His Genin he had to protect not his squad he can lean his back into. As if he trusted none of them, not even Naruto or Sasuke. He took being on the squad seriously he did the most dangerous task himself. That must be taxing on his mind and body. Again Sakura wondered what an ex-Anbu member was doing leading a squad. What was Hokage thinking? Did he break a rule? If so then he would have been executed? To protect Minato´s son? If so that be odd-Minato treated Naruto like every other ninja. Nothing special...Nepotism? Maybe a weird mix or maybe Naruto has some sort of secret...hm
Then 8 days into their squad life, they started to do team exercises that oddly favored Sasuke and Naruto's skills And improved them. They would spend one to three hours warming up, learning taijutsu, tree walking, and water walking.
Something Sakura was very good at was chakra control. She knew of these exercises as that one Anbu guy taught her the chakra control exercises and then some. She wondered if the Anbu-sensei with the Kanji for Kage-sensei was still out on his mission. Okay l, let's get back on track. So when she told Kakashi she had amazing chakra control she watched him react...weird? At first, she hoped Kakashi would supply her with amazing A Rank Ninjustu.
Wrong.
He made Sasuke and Naruto spar while he made her read a bunch of theory books some she knew. Complete disregarding the fact she had a 98,87% chakra control! She could learn ninjutsu now. The books he gave to her weren't bad per se. They were interesting as they leaned into medical research conducted by other villages. It did improve her medical skills but Kakashi was afraid. Not of her particularly. Rather he was scared to end her...innocents? She couldn't explain it much or articulate his behaviour towards her. He made Sasuke and Naruto do things they were underqualified and weak at.
Like tailing, seducing, or gathering information. Something she was very good at.Whether it was a D Rank or a C Rank. Naruto and Sasuke were spoiled little shits that often mistreated their clients. If it wasn't for her hospital work and her doctor title she would have almost no pay as clients always took back their money since her team botched so many Missions. Unlike these two she had no parents to help pay her rent.
Can you blame the poor clients?
She thought Sasuke would be a bit mature but she was learning quickly that both had bad manners. On top of both picked up on Kakashi's favouritism and would always mistreat Sakura. It wouldn't be obvious to outsiders, as they were sneaky. At least they have one good ninja trait. Just if only they used it for the sake of keeping their team and village reputation protected. The way they mistreated her was not like a typical beating down bully tactic.
Like purposely leaving out important information on training locations or Missions.
Not providing the material Kakashi gave them.
Failing to inform her if Kakashi gave them a unique training assignment.
The emotional gap between her teammates and her was just too wide.
She felt as if she had been gaslighted into some sort of vulnerable state... it was painful. She wasn't weak or maybe she was? Maybe she had been deluded by her mentors and friends that she was strong after all. If she wasn't weak, just why didn´t they let her do anything at all? If Kakashi let her, Sasuke and Naruto would see she was just as skilled. Sakura taught that the Uchiha and Hokage sons were more powerful but she was wrong. In terms of skills and mindset, she was the most shinobi-like. It pissed her off how easy it was for them.
Like she was an egg that if dropped could break and splatter out on the floor.
Slowly once a month passed like this. Like an agonizing toothache or sprain on the leg. Sakura realized her team never saw her as a capable soldier. Kakashi acted as if she was the liability. Not Naruto who dripped on every single trap, not Sasuke who pissed off enemy nin and got hurt badly. Kakashi never saw her as a Kunochi or as a shinobie of Konoha no Sato.
No.....
He just saw her as a weak helpless girl.
Then one day they just simply cut her off from training gradually, she often arrived at the Hokage office with her team leaving for another C Rank Mission without her. Minato is visible over time getting angry at Kakashi too.
Leaning at her balcony she groaned frustrated.
" Oh, hey my favourite student! What killed your mood today? Genma? Koketsu? ", the sing-song voice of a familiar Anbu asked her.
Sakura looked up and saw the familiar strange Mask with the Kanji of Kage, her secret mentor greeted her standing on the balcony edge:" Hey! I'm back I hope you didn't slack off my cute stu- uff! Hey, I almost fell off...Sakura? Sakura are you..okay? What I am talking of course not..." He awkwardly hugged her sobbing figure when he saw her shoulder shake violently. They almost fell off but using his chakra he pulled them up onto the balcony with Sakura in his arms sobbing loudly.
" Why? Why? Why won't he treat me like a shinobie? Am I so helpless? Am I really that weak?", Sakura wasn't very emotional. The first thing she did to escape her Kingdom after getting horrifically raped, watching her mother and siblings getting sealed away by her uncle and his faction.
Was killing her emotions.
She never smiled. Maybe a grin but happy emotions like a laugh? No. Crying? Inconceivable. Sakura couldn't afford a weakness like emotion. She lived by the rule book founded by the Konoha founder's ninja guides. She breathed and exuded Shinobi. Working hard, saving money gathering intel she soon started to attract a lot of Konoha shinobie to teach her. They felt her desperation. They knew the familiar feeling of revenge. They say it takes a village to teach a child. Konoha lived by it. Most things in the academy weren't covered greatly but if you applied yourself with the little you had most Academy students got secretly taken under the wings by senior Chunin if you managed to catch jonin attention even better.
Sakura always had this natural charisma. From her upbringing, until she escaped at the age of 9, she had been taught etiquette and how to handle people by her brothers. So she still carried that Nobel feeling to her. No doubt some of her mentors noticed that she was from a wealthy upbringing. But never forced or pressed on about her past.
That's why she loved Konoha. This village had welcomed her with open arms. She got along with so many. She loved theorizing about medical treatment with Lord Orochimaru. Sparring with the Gate guards. If she was lucky, Genma or Morino often taught her new tactics on the field if they had free time. Sakura wasn't arrogant. She has tossed her pride away to learn, she had begged Kurenai to teach her basic Genjutsu on her knees. That is how they discovered her unique bloodline limit. That is how they found her natural gift in Genjutsu.
In her mind, she already has blamed herself for her team rejecting her. Sakura never had felt so isolated in her life.
So when she saw her most trusty mentor, she just...broke down. She hadn't cried ever since that day she ran barefoot out of her Palace into the forest when Kage had saved her.
" What the? Sakura what happened? Who hurt you?", Kage no doubt was very much overwhelmed by her sudden hug. He just must have finished a taxing SSS Rank Ninjustu. So her tears brought him back into ninja mode. Kids did bully her for her strange hair before. Sakura didn't know how long she had cried but once her tears ran out she stepped back:" I...I am so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
" It's fine Sakura. I know you. You never cry without a reason. Do you...want to talk about it?", he sat her down to the ground leaning against the edge of the balcony:" I can get rid of someone if you want!", he winked at her and she threw a playful punch to his chest Sakura face taking a saddened look and him coughing a fake "owe that hurts". So she sat down and explained. Kage visible was pissed but didn't stop her from explaining letting it out. The way Kakashi left her behind on purpose focusing on her male peers. How Kakashi was purposely not teaching her or how he forgot to give her teaching materials. Sasuke and Naruto treated her like a damsel in distress when ironically they got into a helpless situation she had to save them from.
" Kakashi, that piece of shit can't still let go of that girl! Sakura why didn't you report it to the Hokage? I can't believe he infantilized you so hard that now we are back at your low self-esteem era. It took us so much to make you-...That stupid Hatake! Why has he been approved for teaching anyway?", Kage patted her muttering in anger balling his fist. Even if she didn't see his face, she saw his eyes turn into a familiar red hue, three black tomes spinning furiously.
Kage was pissed.
" I...I am not sure, the Hokage by the way knows! Just it would be problematic if I dragged this to the council for Hokage-sama and me. I don't want to get kicked from the team if I report this or make Lord Minato fight with his son. I looked at the laws and I will have to repeat one year at the academy as I don´t qualify for a squat switch...so... The chunin exam is in 6 months so once that comes I can take the additional Jonin exam and take Morino's offer as an assistant....", Sakura rubbed her arm frustrated.
" Sakura can I ask...does the Hokage know about...that? Kakashi? Sasuke or Naruto?", Kage asked seriously his hand clamped around her shoulders." No! I want to...but they shut me down every time I try to strike up a conversation. Sasuke says a girl like me should stay quiet and pretty. Naruto just harrases me to date every time we get together. When I say no he throws a tantrum. Kakashi won't even talk to me just straight up avoids me. I think Minato-sama suspects something about it. Besides you, Anko, Genm, and Morino...no one knows my past or that skill I have...", Sakura leaned against his shoulder.
" Sakura dummy. What does a Tokebetsu Jonin need to be seen as one?", Kage gave her a sot head pat calming her down.
" Oh...I'm so stupid! No wonder Hokage-sama let me into the Jonin exams....", Sakura slapped her forehead in defeat when she understood what he meant.
" No, you're just too focused on the small details. Also, why didn't you tell me via our summons? I would have sent you a clone and helped. Besides you can become an Anbu too! I mean I have practically thought you could join my squad.....Also, why not ask me to make you my apprentice? It would speed up your promotion and if you work with Morino at the same time....you could finally kill him. Just rest for tonight. Don´t worry, we figure something out. Oh, you are not weak Sakura. I can bet my left hand and right leg, you could easily defeat a small squad of Jonin. You a qualified for being a shinobie than anyone I know. Dont be down. We find something, okay.", Kage patted her her before vanishing as if he never had stood there.
With a warm smile, Sakura walked back into her apartment.
Since Kage-sensei was back her training resumed. So another four weeks passed like that. Sakura was fully disillusioned that her team would never see her as someone worthy to be a shinobie, more like a damsel in distress. Instead of showing up to Kakashi (whose teaching was crap, to be honest), Kage was a way better teacher than Kakashi could ever be. So in her private training session with Kage-sensei Sakura managed to find a new aspect to her bloodline limit and train it to an insane degree.
Every morning she comes to the Tower, signs in, and waits with the Hokage (who was very disappointed at Kakashic's antics himself). Minato knew she was probably the most overqualified Genin, and would send her to B Rank Missions or even A Rank Missions on her own. Which upped up her ninja report of course. Minato couldn´t drag this to the ninja council as this would disband the team, meaning Naruto would be held back again and his career as a shinobie would end. Minato-sama had expressed his support for her Ranking up and had let her sign up for the Jonin Exam right away if Kakashi pulled any weird strings during the Chunin Exam.
After all the waiting Sakura would sign off at the Tower. If the Mission wasn't long at 12, she went to the hospital, worked for a few hours there before meeting with Kage-sensei to train, go home, eat, shower, and sleep. It became a daily routine. She got used to being on her own. Occasionally he teamed up with Kurenai´s or Gai´s team. She hoped she could do a support mission with Asuma as he was a wind-style expert. She needed some hints on wind chakra. But he has been on a mission to Wave with Lady Kushina....welp.
Before she knew it, 2 months passed like that. Just like that Friday Sakura expected no attention from her team or her team to not wait on her like usual. Arriving at the Hokage Tower that day she expected to walk out with a B Rank Assassination Mission because her team had left her behind again.
Instead, she was surprised to see Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi there...waiting?
" Hello Sakura.", Minato smiled warmly while shooting her teammate's dirty glances:" I have an A-Rank Mission. I need you to identify a unique salamander poison and return it to the IT corp. No chunin or Jonins with medical knowledge was left for it until Orochimaru told me of your outstanding skills. I mean you are a legal doctor....hm? Dont you guys want to say something?"
Naruto and Sasuke stuttered while Kakashi just nodded.
Not even saying sorry for their past behavior. Not surprisingly Sakura thanked the village head as she looked at the scroll:" Thank you Hokage-sama. Your praise is enough. Let me see...I can go on the Mission on my own. The nest of that type isn't so far. I don't want to hinder my teammates or Hatake-San's time."
Nodding Sakura left until her teammates ran after her:" Wait, Sakura!"
Kakashi felt betrayed. She had called him Hatake-san, not Kakashi-sensei. It was so cruel of Sakura. Plus he was trying to protect her not exclude her. He had no idea who the Anbu was who complained about his teaching methods but he got nasty glares from his peers. Worse than the time his father- no they don't understand.
Sakura was a girl she could die easily. She should quit her pretends of being a tough girl and go back home to her civilian parents to get married to a strong shinobi.
Sakura was strong and weak.
She almost barely defeated him.
She won't end up like Rin. No not again.
He will protect her.