The Turning Point

Land of Tea

Sakura kept up a steady pace trying very hard not to stomp her feet like a five year old throwing a tantrum. She walked briskly through the dark streets of Konoha trying to put as much distance between herself and the Cherry Blossom Festival where Sasuke and the rest of Rookie 9 were.

"I don't even see why I should feel embarrassed! It's not like I got on my knees and declared my true love for him I just wanted to know where we stood" Sakura grumbled digging her nails into the bear at her side glaring at its smiling face.

She had her answer now Sasuke clearly wanted nothing to do with her in the way she thought and he played her for a fool. Sakura decided that was what she was most embarrassed about, how willingly she absorbed all the attention and connected the apparently obvious dots in her head which turned out to be nothing more than an over active imagination.

Some birthday this turned out to be now everyone thinks I confessed when I didn't really and I'm once again seen as a Sasuke obsessed weirdo, Sakura lamented and had the sudden urge to turn around and throw her bear into the river.

She knew it probably wasn't the most mature attitude to have on her fifteenth birthday but none of that seemed to matter much. Sakura wanted to run home and pack her things and leave the village to find her parents; she needed her mother and father to talk to. Where were they when she needed them?

"Sakura would you stop?" Sasuke asked appearing from nowhere, his long legs matching pace with her brisk walk easily.

"Sasuke stop acting like you ran a marathon to find me you've been sulking up in the trees for the past ten minutes probably trying to decide if I'll kill you or not if you try and talk to me" Sakura replied shortly and continued walking.

"Sakura you couldn't kill me" Sasuke said monotone.

"Oh right of course because I'm so madly in love with you and it'll tear me to pieces. I'm completely obsessed and my abilities count for nothing but being your personal cheerleader" Sakura shot back sarcastically.

"That's not what I-"

"Just leave it Sasuke hasn't tonight been enough embarrassment for me? You don't need to keep going" Sakura snapped turning around and jabbing Sasuke in the chest with her finger in frustration.

"Train with me" Sasuke said calmly grabbing a hold of Sakura's finger to prevent her incessant poking.

"What?" Sakura asked, thrown by the odd suggestion.

"You're angry and upset. You should train to let it all out and you suggested we train together" Sasuke elaborated a smirk playing on his lips.

"It's the middle of the night"

"Hn so? The training fields don't have a closing time besides it's a full moon"

"Fine but only because I really want to hit something and if I have to wait any longer I might rip the head off this homemade bear. Training ground in ten minutes?" Sakura asked.

"Ten minutes" Sasuke agreed shoving his hands into his pockets and was gone in an instant.

"No Chidori!" Sakura yelled in protest as she quickly dodged the attack which lit up the entire training field.

"That didn't stop you" Sasuke said dissolving the jutsu and nodding towards the huge craters that littered the ground.

"Fair point" Sakura said dropping back into a fighting stance "Again?"

"Hn no I think we're done. Two hours seems long enough" Sasuke replied sitting comfortably on the ground with his back against a tree. Sakura stood hesitantly off to one side picking up her kunai embedded in the ground.