Team 7

Summary: Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei…they were all broken in some way. But when they became a part of Team 7 that changed. They were jagged, broken, scraped and crushed pieces apart, but when they were Team 7 they became something so much more, even if it was just for a moment. They fit together in some amazing, incomprehensible way and if you looked from the side and squinted just a little you could see something great. Just for a moment. Sakura-centric. One-shot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team 7: Broken Shards

If you asked anyone in Konohagakure no Sato, the Hidden Village in the Leaves, about a certain blonde jinchuuriki named Uzumaki Naruto you would be sure to get a variety of responses. Dark, glaring mutterings about demons and death were the number one response. The second most common would be angry tirades about recent pranks that had besieged them, though the Hyuuga and Uchiha claimed that they were too dignified to indulge in something so crass and below them. Occasionally, you would get power-hungry looks or, even rarer, fond remarks about him from a certain chuunin instructor or ramen stand owner.

However, one thing that the general populace agreed on about Uzumaki Naruto was that he was a cheerful beyond belief idiot.

Worthless.

Some would say that it was all an act by the demon vessel to lull them into a false sense of security. Others simply believed that he was just that dumb. Shinobi would breathe a sigh of relief that his abuse and mistreatment hadn’t broken his mind and caused him to unleash the Kyuubi on Konoha.

As time went on with no worrying signs of Kyuubi-induced rage, the village continued with their increasingly harsh treatment of the demon vessel. Stores would overcharge him on everything, so that he could only afford to eat ramen and wear blindingly orange jumpsuits given to him in the hopes that he would die on a mission from the striking color. People would glare and spit on him when he walked down the street, warning their kids against him and teaching them to hate him as well. Those who didn’t believe he was the demon would simply ignore him most of the time, turning a blind eye to the discrimination.

Better off dead.

In some way the cold stares hurt more. Because if they shouted, if they screamed then that meant they felt some emotion towards him a little, even if it was anger. They cared just a little that he was alive. He didn’t doubt that there was hatred. They broke him.

Monster.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Years later, on a C-rank mission with the rest of Team 7, his jounin instructor Hatake Kakashi would force the genin to talk about their childhoods, claiming that they would be able to bond and function better as a team. Of course, this ended with Sasuke storming off to vent his anger at his brother on the surrounding unlucky trees, their teacher following closely behind to make sure that he didn’t get ambushed and killed by the bandits that they had been hired to get rid of.

In a rare moment, Sakura found herself curious about her blonde teammate for once, who had been strangely silent ever since Kakashi-sensei had introduced the activity. It was a stark contrast from his usually boisterous, annoying personality. Figuring that it was probably related to his childhood, she went about sating her curiosity in her usual, blunt manner towards Naruto.

“Oi, Naruto-baka! If I had known you were going to be this quiet about your childhood, I would have asked years ago.” Sakura paused for a moment. Seeing that he had no outward reaction, she continued, even more mystified.