𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 | 𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐨

horn at hip went my love riding

One thing about Shikamaru Nara, is that he knows that not everything is as it seems. And one of those things, is Konoha's very own Sakura Haruno. Hailing from a mostly civilian family, she was never expected to excel in the Academy or even make it on a genin team. The school was simply not made for those of her kind. Sure, it sounded awfully prejudiced against civilian folk, but it was realistic.

And quite honestly, it wasn't even their fault. They didn't come from a long line of ninjas, or powerful clans. They didn't have the same type of knowledge and training that clan kids did. They didn't have the same resources or the quality weapons. They had what was taught and given out at the Academy, and no more. But the Academy was meant to be paired with an extracurricular program at home, from their own families who had already gone through this.

   So it was to everyone's surprise and then some when Sakura managed to be the only civilian in their year to graduate. She probably didn't even know either, what she had accomplished. And then somehow she put into the same team as Sasuke and Naruto of all people, two kids who had an entire legacy's behind them and way already on another level. And ON TOP of that, Kakashi Hatake was the one chosen to be their team leader. All in all, it should have been a recipe for disaster for the pink haired girl.

Shikamaru by now knew that Sakura had more ambition and motivation than she let on. After all, it took a certain kind of drive to continue to pursue Sasuke Uchiha after the murder of his entire family and the drastic turn of his mannerisms and sociability. Most of his fangirls learned to avoid him, sensing the darkness and borderline murderous rage that frequently exuded from him. Even Ino had taken a few steps back from the angry emo child.

  But Sakura had stayed. Always clamored to be his partner, which she succeeded in more often than not. Was quick to give him a smile, give him copies of class work if he happened to not be paying attention - all pages written in careful, precise kanji and written nearly word for word from Sensei's mouth while still maintaining extra side notes with more in depth explanations- She was unstoppable. It had been so annoying.

  She was still annoying, but more in that general all girls are gross sort of way. When he learned of her accident and loss of her (still living) team, he had been sympathetic. Those kinds of injuries were common during war times and for the more difficult missions for ninja, and she had been unlucky to be one of those hurt during what was supposed to be a beginner routine mission. Shikamaru was sure that he'd rather loose a limb than loose his eyesight. Too much of what he did relied on physical visualization. And he probably wouldn't be able to bare not longer being able to cloud watch.

  A dark cloud hung after Ino in the following weeks. She was quieter then. More focused on training with her team than she ever had ever been. More determined. "Sakura is not going to give up," she had whispered to Shikamaru one day. They had chased a damn cat all over the damn village again. Claw marks tracked across their exposed skin. "She is going to get even stronger now. I know everyone feels sorry for her, but they shouldn't. Their doubt sows her mind, her spirit. She is going to push back. It's what she always does," she said, shaking her head with a frown.

    The boy knew this, but didn't yet know the extent until he talked to her on the hill. He had watched her briefly, knowing something had happened just before he got there. Sweat dripped from her skin. Pink waves of hair swept across her bare shoulders and covering the cloth around her eyes. He had wondered what damage lay beneath it. She clenched grass between her fists, chest heaving. Evidence of chakra exhaustion had been written all over her. But she had spoken to him as gracefully as ever, acting as if nothing was wrong. So he obliged her. Gave her a bit of normal-ness. Even truthfulness. He was not keen on going against her. Savagery was written into her DNA. A stubbornness matched by very few. She was likely spreading planning her way back into the Konoha ranks. A village that wouldn't appreciate her, no matter how far she got.