Haruno Sakura, the beloved daughter of Kizashi and Mebuki.

That was the life she lived, happy and carefree in a blissful environment with her loving parents. She was content, she was happy.

Even Sakura herself does not know what happened, how it happened, why it happened or even how it happened in the first place. One day she was happily talking with her mom about why girls were pretty and boys were not, the next, she was being screamed at by her hysterical mother.

Sakura had worried for her mother, scouring through medical books and searching through the medical library. She even went as far as to ask the doctors and nurses. Each time she came to the same conclusion.

Her mother had gone crazy.

Sakura, not knowing how to react, tried her best to keep her mother happy, to not worsen her condition. She did what she was told, reading books too advanced for her age, dressing up in pretty and impractical clothes better worn by dolls. When her mother had sneered at her, slapping her after saying that she was too fat, she stopped eating dinner.

Sakura thought that that was the worst of it.

She was wrong.

Next was her father. He had been loving and kind, aiming to help his wife get better and keep his precious daughter safe. He told jokes and cheered her up whenever she almost spiralled into depression because of her mother's condition.

The next thing she knew, he was back at two o'clock in the morning, reeking of booze and giving off a strange smell that Sakura could not pinpoint. She heard him stumble into the house and tried to help him to bed, but she was rewarded for her efforts by her father throwing a beer bottle at her. Her father, the one to be there for her when she thought she was alone. Her father. He had befallen the same fate as her mother, and by choice.

"This cannot be real! It can't!" Sakura chanted as she curled up in a ball on her bed, rocking back and forth.

Sakura prayed for it to get better, for her to wake up in bed, to see her parents laughing with her again, to cheer her up to make her forget about all the bad things.

But what she knew was that it didn't get better. Her prayers had remained unanswered.

Mebuki had found a knife in the house and had started to slice patterns into her flesh, watching as it oozed from the wound she inflicted upon herself. She did not even flinch in pain.

This was the scene Sakura walked into. She gently pried the knife from her mother's reaching hands, telling her softly that she cannot hurt herself, that it was wrong to hurt herself. Sakura had chastised her mother like she would a child.

Mebuki's question, child-like and innocent-sounding, scared Sakura, "If I cannot hurt myself because it is wrong, can I hurt you instead?"

Sakura's heart almost stopped. She gulped in fear and pushed down the bile she could feel rising in her throat, forcing herself to speak.

"Of course you can, Mebuki-chan," she spoke as though speaking with a child, as she knew her mother preferred these days.

"Then wouldn't Sakura-chan be hurt?" Mebuki asked again, innocence staining her words.

"Yes, I would. But it is better that I get hurt than you, Mebuki-chan, who is my kaa-chan, to be hurt," Sakura said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she face her mother.

"Yay!" Mebuki clapped her hands together.

"First, let us bandage your wounds. It wouldn't be good for Mebuki-chan to hurt herself more!" Sakura feigned cheerfulness, carefully staunching her mother's blood with a towel the way the medical books said to, bandaging the wounds tightly enough that blood stops flowing out but not right enough to cut off blood circulation.

Mebuki hops off the toilet bowl where she sat as her daughter bandaged her wounds, asking while hopping from foot to foot, "Can I hurt Sakura-chan yet?"

"Not yet, honey. You have to go to sleep and wait until your wounds at least close up," Sakura said in a strained voice.

Mebuki pouted.

"Just a little bit?" she asked in a small voice.

Sakura hesitated before nodding her head.

"Fine, you can. Only a little bit," Sakura said firmly while she panicked internally.

Mebuki beamed, "You're the best, Sakura-chan!"

Mebuki bounced to her daughter, grabbing her arm.

"Why the arm?" Sakura could not stop herself from asking.

"Silly Sakura-chan! Your legs and front have to look perfect! Your arms and back are the only ones we can hurt! Wouldn't want your wounds to scar and chase off all the men from my pretty Sakura-chan, no?" Mebuki chided as she used to, before reverting to child-like wonder.

"Sakura-chan has soft, smooth skin. Sakura-chan is pretty! Mebuki-chan isn't pretty. Mebuki-chan shouldn't ruin Sakura-chan! Mebuki-chan is already ugly, so Mebuki-chan should get hurt!" Mebuki mumbled to herself.

"That's not true! Mebuki-chan shouldn't be hurt! It is bad! Sakura-chan doesn't want Mebuki-chan to get hurt! I would be sad if Mebuki-chan gets hurt!" Sakura said desperately, trying to prevent her mother from doing anything rash.

Mebuki nodded slightly, sniffling. She raised her hands again to stroke Sakura's skin. She scraped off the flesh with her fingernails, making Sakura let out a muffled scream. She watched in awe as crimson blood spilt from the wound, gliding over porcelain skin and dripping from her elbow. Mebuki leaned in closer, taking a whiff of the metallic scent of blood.

Mebuki lapped up the blood, licking Sakura's arm clean.

"Sakura-chan is sweet!" Mebuki giggled.

The dazed look suddenly left her face, her eyes clearing and the happy look turning into horror.

"Sakura-chan? God, what did I do? Stay away from me, Sakura! Learn how to heal yourself first!" Mebuki said, no longer childlike but now horrified and pained.

Sakura obeyed. She ran out of the house, grabbing a roll of bandages and a wad of cash as she dashed through the streets. She bandaged her wound along the way before finding herself at the library. It was not closed, but currently, there were no librarians and there were self-borrowing kiosks. She went into the shinobi section, grabbing all the books they had on medical ninjutsu.

Sakura looked through the books, memorising the hand signs and the names of the jutsu along with its uses. Once done, she went to the chakra section. She had found out through the books that, to do jutsu, one required chakra as well as good chakra control. Sakura looked through the section and found books on chakra control exercises and how to unlock and use chakra in general.

She did as it said, reaching deep within herself, searching for her chakra, the warm place somewhere in her gut. It took a few tries, however, she managed to find it. Sakura carefully drew it out, beginning to release it steadily as she opened her eyes and felt like everything became clearer, crickets chirped louder, the musky smell of books stronger and the taste of bile in her mouth from earlier stronger.

She cut off the flow and shook off the changes as she read about the chakra control exercises. She thought that the feats they spoke of were impossible, but she decided to at least try.

Sakura walked to an empty wall, summoning her chakra from where she found it before and channelling it to her feet at a steady pace as she tested it on the wall. She took a few steps back and dashed up the wall, reaching almost halfway up when she felt the chakra flow falter as she slipped off the wall and fall.

Sakura's eyes widened as she panicked slightly.

"Careful there," a silky voice, obviously male and near her age (which is six), murmured as she felt arms wrap around her as the person holding her landed gently on the ground.

The person set her down on the floor.

"Thank you. Though, who are you?" Sakura said thankfully before asking suspiciously.

"Who I am is none of your concern. I have saved your life and you would do well to leave it at that," the male voice told her.

Sakura was told, many times, that she was advanced for her age. This boy spoke the same way she did, words clear with perfect grammar and pronunciation.

"I'm Sakura," Sakura told him, ignoring his previous words.

She felt a connection to this boy. She felt like he would understand her situation, that he would know how to help her.

"What about it?" the boy asked.

"Tell me yours," Sakura pleaded.

"Do not tell your parents. They would hunt me down and kill me," Naruto sighed.

Sakura nodded furiously, "Of course not! I would never speak to them though, given a choice."

"I'm Naruto. Call me something else, like Menma. Do not mention me to anyone. And why do you despise your parents so?" Naruto asks, seeming to say a name off the top of his head.

"I do not despise them. I love them with all my heart. However, recently, things have changed... My mom went insane and my dad became a drug addict," Sakura admitted in a serious tone, expecting him to laugh and say she was overreacting or being rude.

"I see. Then if you do not wish to harm them, the best solution would be to learn medical ninjutsu. You will be able to heal yourself and work on bringing back your mother's sanity and stop your father from taking more drugs that will only harm his body," Naruto said, nodding his head in understanding.

Sakura only nodded her head in awe, having not thought that far. She only wanted to learn it to heal herself and her mother, but this can be her goal.

The mysterious boy, Naruto, sat down on her chair as his hair magically turned black from what was visible from under his hood, which was red. He flipped up his hood although Sakura could not see his face, she saw his hair. It reached his shoulders in length and his eyes were a deep ocean blue. His skin was fair and glowed in the moonlight. The small lamp's flickering light made pretty patterns in his hair.

Sakura shook herself out of her reverie, trying again to run up the wall. She succeeded this time. She whooped in victory and dashed down the wall, almost slamming into the floor when she was grabbed at the waist by Naruto. Sakura flushed bright red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Na-Menma!" she apologised, fumbling to correct herself.

Naruto sighed, chiding, "Be more careful!"

She nodded and pulled herself from his grip, trying this time to walk up and back down. She was successful. She walked back up, stepping onto the ceiling and hanging upside down.

"Here's a tip: When you fall, flip your body so your feet face the ground and cushion your fall using chakra. Remember to land with your knees bent in a crouch. I do not want you breaking your legs," Naruto suggested.

Sakura nodded her head, gulping as she stopped channelling chakra to her feet and started falling. She flipped twice before landing on her feet in a crouch. She smirked in triumph, her face slightly flushed by the adrenaline. Naruto clapped slowly as he walked up to her (his hood was up), smiling slightly.

"Good job! You can get started with your medical ninjutsu. You can try it out before doing the water-walking exercise. I may or may not meet you again. Bye!" Naruto said, waving as he walked in the opposite direction.

"Bye, Menma!" Sakura called back.

Naruto inclined his head as he vanished. No sound, nothing. Leaving no sign that he was ever there.

It almost made Sakura think that he was a ghost. But he saved her. Twice, too. He felt very real with his warm arms wrapped around her as he brought her to safety.

"Menma, are you really real?" Sakura whispered to herself.

Naruto was crouching on the ceiling of the library. He observed the girl for a while longer as she tried to do the Shōsen Jutsu, the easiest medical ninjutsu in the book. He saw as she healed her wounds at a much faster rate than most beginners -- who would likely have fried their cells instead of healing them like they intend to. That was why most will practice on injured animals rather than on themselves.

He smiled faintly as he took note of the girl's progress. She had low chakra reserves, likely one of the contributors to her excellent chakra control, and was a natural at medical jutsu. The girl was talented and he would like to see how much she improved, with her determination to succeed in helping her parents. At that, he flashed away with Hiraishin.

Sakura finally looked at the clock on the wall in the library. Her eyes widened. It was already two o'clock! Almost time for her father to return home.

Sakura quickly returned the books and dashed out of the library, stopping at a local drug store for sleeping shots and relaxing shots too. She also got a few rolls of bandages, a bottle each of anaesthetic fluid and antiseptic fluid. Sakura spotted a tin of healing balm and took that too. She also purchased another first aid kit as he father had thrown it away in his drugged haze.

She quickly paid for the items with the money she saved up from when her family was still sane and dashed home, heading straight into her room where she left the items she purchased in the hidden storage area in the wall. She had only just shut the lid when her mother ran into her room, in tears.

"Sakura-chan! I was so so scared when I woke up and didn't see you there! Thankfully, it's just a nightmare!" Mebuki cried out.

"Please don't leave Mebuki-chan all alone, Sakura-chan!" she pleaded.

"I would never," Sakura replied gently, steering her back to her room and tucking her into bed.

That was when she heard her father stumble into the house. Sakura withheld her shiver but did not hide the curl of her lips, the telltale sign of a grimace. She did not -- could not -- hate her father despite his choices, but she did sometimes resent the man for his betrayal -- his weakness.

"Where are you? Sakura! Come down right now! Don't tell me that- that you're with that pathetic excuse of a woman!" Kizashi yelled.

Mebuki trembled as tears fell unhindered from her eyes.

"Shh... I won't let him hurt you, kaa-chan. I promise," Sakura said sincerely, walking out of her room and down the stairs.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, feigning a yawn as she blinked her eyes, mumbling, "Yes, tou-san?"

"There you are. So you were sleeping and not with that crazy bitch. Good. Never go near her, you hear me? I don't want her to spread it to my precious Sakura," Kizashi slurred.

When he failed to hear Sakura agree with his words, he growled, smashing a beer bottle over her frail shoulder.

"That'll teach you not to mess with tou-san!" he growled.

Sakura only stared right back at him in defiance, ignoring the bruises that were already blooming on her porcelain skin and the blood dripping from the many cuts. He shook his head.

"So beautiful, you are. So pretty. So fresh. So young! Sakura is a gorgeous little thing, won't you agree?" Kizashi sneered, pulling his daughter towards him by the hair.

Sakura's eyes widened as horror seeped in, her bravado vanishing without a trace as she shrank her neck subconsciously. 'No, he can't be! He would never, he is still tou-san. Right?' Sakura tried desperately to convince herself.

That was when the man suddenly passed out.

"Tou-san?" Sakura breathed, unsure if what she felt was relief or worry.

She noticed a boy in a black cloak -- Naruto. He inclined his head at her, picking Kizashi up easily and dropping him on the sofa. He pulled a syringe from a hidden pocket in his cloak, placing it at Kizashi's mouth and squeezing the plunger.

"That should neutralise the drug. He has been taking it for quite a while, though. He may have developed an addiction. I can help you subdue him with movement restriction seals, if that is what you want," Naruto said plainly.

Sakura nodded in acceptance, mumbling, "Thanks, Menma."

Naruto inclined his head in reply, pulling out a calligraphy pen already tipped in ink -- for appearance's sake -- and drew a movement restriction seal on the back of Kizashi's neck where it was hidden by his hair.

"He should be unable to leave the house unless he can provide a reason for his movement. If he does but ends up straying back to the place he gets the drugs, he will be teleported back here," Naruto explained briefly before vanishing once more.

'I am never going to doubt his existence again,' Sakura decided, numbly staring at the vacant space where the cloaked boy once stood.

Sakura went back to her room, making sure the items she bought were safe. She silently went into her mother's room, healing her mother without her knowledge. She unwrapped the bandages and disposed of them in the bin in the toilet.

Sakura went back to her room, removing the glass from her wounds and cleaning them with antiseptic. She finished off by healing her wounds until they have scarred over. She knew that she could heal them further with her skill, but she had run out of chakra already at that point. She fell into a deep dreamless slumber, weighed down by exhaustion.

Sakura woke up at nine in the morning, satisfied by her night of dreamless slumber. Without the nightmares that haunted her dreams, her sleep was restful. She went to make breakfast and was humming a tune when she heard her father wake up.

"What happened? Sakura-chan? Where's Mebuki? Is she okay?" Kizashi asked in confusion.

"What do you remember?" Sakura asks.

"I walked into a nice pub for some alcohol to drink my sorrows away, then a nice man gave me a special drink. Think it was spiked with something. It made me so happy! It was brilliant! It tastes like the best thing on earth! I'll take Mebuki-chan next time!" Kizashi cheered.

"But kaa-chan isn't ready to leave the house yet! She's sick, remember?" Sakura asked, noticing that Kizashi seemed to have truly forgotten his troubles.

"Really? Is she okay?" Kizashi asks worriedly.

"She's fine, tou-san," Sakura said with an edge of finality to stop him from pressing the matter.

"If you say so..." Kizashi mumbled uncertainly.

"Sakura-chan?" Mebuki called as she made her way down the stairs.

"Ooh! You made breakfast! How sweet of you, Sakura-chan," Mebuki said delightfully.

"It's good to see that you're fine. I'll be at work!" Kizashi called, going into his room and changing quickly after taking a shower and grabbing his suitcase.

He ran out of the house.

"Don't be late, sweetie!" Mebuki called out after him.

He just waved back.

Sakura was in her room, sitting on her ceiling when she suddenly heard a crash in the living room. She dashed down to see her father sitting on the floor, rubbing his back.

"Ow... What happened?" Kizashi mumbled.

"What did you do, tou-san?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"I don't know... I was going towards the nice pub and suddenly I just ended up back here," Kizashi rubbed his neck in confusion.

"Maybe that's a sign telling you to stop going there?" Sakura asks hopefully.

"That could not be! It is such a nice place! I am drawn back there! It's such a shame both you and your mother cannot come," Kizashi protested.

Sakura bit her lip. This was worrying. He did not even so much as notice how affected he was by the drug. He did not remember what he did under its influence. She could only wish Naruto were here.

"Maybe just try not to go back? For me?" Sakura pleaded.

Kizashi nodded as though to convince himself, "For you."

He did not keep his promise. He tried to go back at six o'clock, clawing at the door when he found that it would not budge, not noticing that it was bolted shut. Sakura tried to stop him but he kicked her harshly in the ribs, cracking two of them. He followed that up with a punch to her face, giving her a badly bruised cheek and a split lip. Kizashi managed to bring down the front door, scrambling back to the pub. The man, too, was worse for wear, scratches littering his face, arms and neck.

Sakura sat there, staring blankly into space. She did not know how long she sat there, how long it was since her father ran off, seeming to have ripped the seal away with his nails.

"What was that?" Sakura finally muttered.

"Withdrawal symptoms," Naruto's voice replied.

"Menma?" Sakura asked.

"Yes?" he replied.

"How do I help tou-san? He was in such pain..." Sakura asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't know."

Naruto's words made her break down sobbing. Even Naruto, who seemed to know everything, did not know the solution to her problem.

"You are breaking her heart," a certain tailed beast commented in its jinchūriki's head.

'It is necessary. She needs to do it herself. She needs an incentive to get stronger,' Naruto stated.

"It may be true, but your methods are just downright mean," Kurama said with a yawn.

'Says the almighty Kyūbi no Kitsune.'

"You're such a brat sometimes," Kurama groaned.

'And you love me anyway,' Naruto scoffed.

"I hate you."

'Love you too.'

Kurama groaned before turning over and going back to sleep.

"I have to take care of my mother. Make sure she doesn't do anything rash, you know?" Sakura said nervously.

Naruto nodded mutely, vanishing into the night.

Sakura went back into the house, sighing miserably.

>•<

"You should join the academy, Sakura-chan! You'll have a greater chance with the clan heirs. They will be in your year, too!" Mebuki said while playing in Sakura's blood.

"Hai, Mebuki-chan," Sakura inclined her head as it was the only part of her body that could move, considering that Mebuki was sitting on her back, carving patterns into it.

Mebuki got off her daughter's back, dragging her into the toilet.

"Clean yourself up, sweetie. You'll be ready to leave in the afternoon for registration, right?" Mebuki asks.

"Of course, Mebuki-chan. You know I have to call you kaa-chan outside, right?" Sakura asked uncertainly.

"Of course, darling. Now go!" she shooed her daughter into the toilet leaving a pretty pink dress on her door.

Sakura put on the dress and pulled on a pair of spandex shorts, covering up her faded scars on her arms with fishnet sleeves. She carefully slid on her sandals while standing upright, knowing that her semi-healed wounds may open up otherwise. She checked over her outfit, deciding that she looked good enough.

"Mebuki-chan, I'm ready to go!" Sakura called out.

"Same here! Let's go!" Mebuki cheered as she dragged Sakura out, forgetting to lock the door.

Sakura managed to lock it right before she was dragged off by her mother. She trotted beside her mother, nodding politely every time she said that a boy was cute or handsome. Sakura really could not see what was so attractive about the boy she points out. The only male she could think of as remotely attractive was Naruto, who she had only seen the hair of. She also caught a glimpse of his eyes on the night her father broke out of the house. They were a pretty deep ocean blue.

Even then, she did not find him attractive. Sakura only felt embarrassed because she kept doing things that he had to save her from.

"Is there any guy you like?" Mebuki's voice reaches Sakura.

"Eh? I guess..." Sakura mumbled.

"Who?" Mebuki pressed.

"Uh... A really cute guy called Menma," Sakura forced out, internally apologising to the person for using him as a scapegoat.

"Aww... It will be better for you to date Sasuke-kun over there, though. His brother is aiming for ANBU captain so he is probably going to end up clan head. And he isn't half bad. He's handsome, isn't he?" Mebuki says excitedly.

Sakura turned to look at the person Mebuki had pointed out. A boy with black hair, the same shade as Menma's, in a strange style. It resembled a duck's butt. She held in a giggle at the thought. He had charcoal eyes and an average build. His skin was fair, milky and perfectly unmarred, the royal blue of his outfit standing out against his pale complexion. The Uchiha clan symbol was emblazoned on the back of his shirt.

For some strange reason, Sakura felt that the Uchiha clan symbol fit Naruto more than it could ever fit Sasuke. She tilted her head to the side in thought.

"Isn't he cute?" Sakura once again heard her mother's voice interrupt her thoughts.

"I guess..." Sakura said awkwardly.

'Maybe I'll act like I am that kid's fangirl, seeing as there are so many other little girls ogling him,' Sakura mused, a calculative glint in her eyes.

"That's great!" Mebuki cheered.

Sakura nodded awkwardly and followed her mother into the principal's office. She took the entrance exams, easily acing it and making it to the same class as the clan heirs.

Mebuki squealed when she saw that her daughter was with the clan heirs.

"That's great! You get to be with Sasuke-kun!" Mebuki beamed.

"Yes, I do," Sakura said while feigning a soft smile, deciding to begin putting on her act.

>•<

"Hey, why is your forehead so big?" a plain-looking brunet asked Sakura.

Sakura ignored the boy, continuing to walk as she tried to go past him.

"You can't just ignore the big boss, billboard brow!" another plain-looking boy, this time with reddish-brown hair and beady eyes.

"Leave me alone. Go bother someone else!" Sakura said in irritation as she pushed past him.

This made him growl in anger, grabbing her by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" fumed the first brunet.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps I'm going home? Maybe to the library? Even you, uncultured swines, should know what those are, right?" Sakura said sarcastically before gaining a mocking tone.

"Oh, now you are just asking for it!" the other brunet growled as he raised an arm to strike Sakura.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" a feminine voice cried out from the other end of the alleyway.

A pitter-patter of footsteps sounded as a platinum-blonde haired girl ran up to the bullies a grabbed the arm that was almost at Sakura's face, twisting it behind the person's back as she kicked him in the shin. She let go of the boy, letting his momentum drag him toward the wall. He crashed into the brick and passed out, a purple bruise already forming on his shin as his head started becoming puffy where it hit the wall.

The blonde proceeded to elbow the other boy in the gut, forcing him to let go of Sakura as she kneed him where the sun don't shine. The boy curled up in a ball on the ground, moaning in pain. Sakura merely watched on in mild amusement as the idiots got beaten up to a pulp.

Sakura felt her hand being grabbed as the other girl dragged her out of the alley. The girls ran and ran, finding themselves stopping at a flower patch and laying on the soft grass. Their chests heaved from the exertion.

Sakura giggled as she turned her eyes from the blue sky to the icy blue orbs that were her saviour's, "Thanks for saving me back there. I could have handled it but it is nice to meet someone new."

"No problem! I'm Yamanaka Ino," Ino said as she sat up, holding a hand out to Sakura.

"Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you," Sakura replied, clasping her hand with Ino's as they shook hands.

"Let's be friends!" Ino said cheerfully.

"Why not?" was Sakura's answer.

They played in the flower patch, telling each other the names of the various flowers, Sakura telling Ino the medical properties of each one.

"You're smart," Ino marvelled.

"I'm not smart. I just study more than the average kid," Sakura replied, blushing at the compliment.

"Nah, you're still smart! Are you going to the Shinobi Academy?" Ino declared before asking curiously.

"Yes. You?"

"Of course!" Ino replies.

"See you then. I have to go!" Sakura said quickly, dashing off in the direction from whence they came upon noticing that quite some time had already passed.

Sakura panted when she jogged into the Haruno residence.

"Mebuki-chan! I'm back!" Sakura called out.

"Where were you, Sakura-chan?" Mebuki asked as she went to the door where Sakura was removing her shoes.

"I was with the Yamanaka clan heir. We became friends," Sakura told her.

"That's nice. Though it would be better if Sakura-chan was with Sasuke-kun," Mebuki said.

Sakura let out a breath she did not notice herself holding.

"Yes, it's nice," Sakura found herself saying.

She was glad that her mother approved of her friendship with this new classmate of hers, but...

'How would I stay friends with a girl like Ino in the academy if all I'm going to do is act like a useless fangirl with nothing but book-smarts?' Sakura asked herself in exasperation.

'Guess I'll have to count on Ino not being a Sasuke fangirl,' Sakura groaned internally as she followed her mother into the house.