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Whoever you want to be

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"Forehead! Forehead! Forehead!"

The names, the insults, they were something young Sakura Haruno had to deal with as a child. Until the day she met Ino Yamanaka, their friendship seemed to bloom quickly after Ino had stopped her from being bullied.

"Here," Ino said as she held a red ribbon out toward Sakura, "people make fun of you because of your forehead right? Then wear this, it will show off the cuter aspects of your forehead."

Sakura grabbed the ribbon and noticed the genuine smile Ino was giving her; at that moment she was so happy to have a true friend.

"T—Thanks,"

"Come on, you have to more confident with yourself. That is if you want to stop being bullied."

Sakura and Ino spent the rest of day together, she admired the way Ino carried herself confidently and wished so much to be like that. As the day came to an end they said their goodbyes and went home, Sakura was smiling the whole way home.

"Mom!"

Sakura yelled for her mother as she charged through the door, she couldn't wait to tell her all the things that had happened today.

"What is it honey?"

Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's mother, asked as her daughter came running into the living room.

"Mom! I made a new friend today, her name is Ino yama— yanam— uh…"

Mebuki laughed that her daughter had trouble saying the last name, "You mean Yamanaka right? Her family owns the flower shop."

"Yeah, she gave me this ribbon see," Sakura held it out to her mother, "she also stopped the mean kids from bullying me."

Sakura continued to talk to her mother about Ino, she told her all about the way she acts and how confident she seems.

"Mom, do you think one day I could be confident just like Ino?"

Mebuki smiled, "Sakura dear, you can be whoever you want to be."

And Sakura took those words to heart.

XXXXXX

Time passed and Sakura grew up in Ino's shadow, trying to be like her as much as possible gaining the confidence she once longed for. Their friendship seemed almost unbreakable, at least until they met Sasuke Uchiha.

"Did you see the new kid?" Ino asked. "I heard he is the last Uchiha, his name is Sasuke."

"Yeah I saw him, he is so cool!" Sakura squealed.

"Yeah one day I'm going to marry him."

"Huh no way! I am going to be the one to marry Sasuke-Kun!"

This started the downfall of their friendship, one silly crush. Through this Sakura decided to leave Ino's shadow, she made it her goal to be acknowledged by Sasuke and to one day marry him.

"Ino-pig!"

"Billboard brow!"

That night she ran home full of anger, it wasn't till she was halfway home that she realized that tears were streaming down her face.

"Stupid Ino-pig…"

"Hey get back here!"

Sakura was interrupted by a loud yelling and she noticed a boy around her age with blond spikey hair and whisker marks running down the street towards her direction. He was being chased by a very heavy built man, for what reasons she had no idea.

Sakura moved into a side alley and as the boy came running past she pulled him in and he fell right on top of her.

"Damn it, where did that demon go!"

The man ran off continuing down the street, it wasn't till he was long gone that they realized the position they were in.

The blond boy jumped up with a huge blush on his face, "Ah, s—sorry I didn't mean to fall on you like that."

Sakura had a blush on her face as well but brushed it aside when she started talking, "I—It's fine, really."

"By the way, thank you for saving me from that guy, this is one of the worst days for me," he said while scratching the back of his head nervously.

The blond boy held out his hand, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sakura reluctantly shook the hand back, "Sakura Haruno."

"Well thanks again Sakura-Chan! I won't forget this!"

Naruto ran off with a huge smile on his face.

"Well that was weird, what could be so bad about October 10th? Shouldn't he be celebrating?"

Sakura made her way home after that, the random encounter with the blond was on her mind until she thought back to what had happened to Ino, she still felt angry at her, she called her names AND threatened to steal the man she wanted to marry from her.

Sakura told her mother about her day, she seemed rather disappointed that she got into a huge argument with her best friend over a single boy. What really got her mother's attention though was the story of Naruto.

"Mom, what would you have done in that situation?"

"Well for one I would have helped him as much as I can, that poor boy needs people in his life," Mebuki pondered for a moment, "I suppose I would also pass along what I always say to you as well; no matter what happens in your life, you can be whoever you want to be."

Those words again, Sakura let them play in her head as she slept that night.

"Whoever I want to be… I want to be Sakura Uchiha."

XXXXXX

More years passed and Sakura's now rivalry with Ino continued strong, both of them trying harder than ever to win Sasuke's affection, though one thing seemed to get in their way.

The fact that Sasuke Uchiha could care less.

"The new teams will be…"

Every student got put into squads of three with their own jounin sensei, Sakura's team consisting of the one person she wanted most… and the one she wanted the least.

Naruto Uzumaki, he had remembered the encounter with the young pink haired girl, but it seemed she had forgotten. Naruto had tried many times to gain Sakura's friendship but no matter what he did in her eyes it seemed he was trying to sabotage her potential relationship with Sasuke. This caused Sakura to grow up being annoyed with Naruto.

Time went on for the team, bonds growing quickly. Sakura seemed to be less annoyed with Naruto now and Sasuke seemed to be coming out of his shell a little more, this made Sakura happy.

But the funny thing with bonds is that as quickly as they can be forged… they can also be broken just as fast.

Sasuke Uchiha had left the village to pursue the path of revenge.

Sakura had tried to stop him, she poured her heart out at that moment and said things that she wasn't even sure of herself to get him to stay, but it didn't work.

The promise followed soon after.

Naruto had made the ultimate promise to bring Sasuke back to her, even at the cost of his own heart breaking. He just loved her that much.

Sakura had never been so relieved to have a friend like Naruto, to promise something so important to her… but then he came back from the mission badly injured.

She talked to him while he was covered from head to toe in bandages; she couldn't believe he had gotten so injured just to fulfill a promise to her. That day helped her realize that day that Naruto was not anywhere close to what she thought of him, he was much greater and she wished just a little that she could be just as great.

Later that day she went home that day hoping to talk to her mother about recent events only to find that she was away, so she decided to sleep for a while.

Her mother's words rang in her head again, how long had it been since she thought of that phrase?

"I want… to not be a burden anymore…"

XXXXXX

"NARUTO!"

Sakura screamed out his name as she ran toward him, he was not normal right now.

No,

Naruto had gone into the four tailed Kyuubi form while fighting Orochimaru.

She screamed for him, after only recently finding out about his great burden she started to care even deeper for him but now it seemed he had lost control fighting Orochimaru, and all to get Sasuke back… for her.

She knew he had his own reasons for wanting his best friend back, but his promise to her still was a big part of it.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she jumped up in her bed, she realized she was in her room.

"It was a nightmare…"

"Sakura! Are you okay?" Mebuki asked as she dashed into her daughter's room.

"Yeah mom, it was just a nightmare… sorry."

Mebuki seemed relieved; she smiled at Sakura as she sat on the end of her bed.

"Mom, do you think I can help Naruto? I mean truly help him… I don't want him to go through everything alone."

Mebuki smiled knowing she was getting closer to Naruto, "Of course you can Sakura, as I always say,"

"You can be whoever you want to be."

They both said it in unison.

"Seems you already understand," her mother smiled at her and quietly left the room, Sakura laid there on her bed thinking.

"I want to help Naruto so he doesn't have to deal with his burden alone."

XXXXXX

And she drifted off to sleep.

The war was over; the mad men Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha were defeated and with their defeat marked the end of the Akatsuki as well.

This however wasn't the only piece of great news; it seemed Sasuke Uchiha had finally seen the error of his ways as he fought side by side Naruto and the rest of the alliance in order to end the threat of Madara and Obito.

"Sasuke-Kun," Sakura slowly approached him, Naruto watched with a saddened expression. It seemed Sasuke had still held her heart.

Or so he thought.

"Baka!" Sakura sent Sasuke flying a good twenty yards. "You come back after everything you have done! You nearly killed me just because you thought I was in the way of your revenge and you think everything is just okay now!?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, "Sasuke-Kun, it's good to just finally have you back." She hugged him and then looked back at Naruto.

"It seems you have gotten over me haven't you?"

Sakura looked back toward Sasuke in shock, how did he?

"I see the way you look at him now, and the way to long to be by his side even now. Go on, I won't keep you, if you ask me I say it's about time."

Sakura nodded and ran over to Naruto and hugged him with all her might, "Baka, what you did out there was extremely dangerous."

Naruto hugged her back, "Yeah I know, but hey we beat them right?"

"Yes, and now look all around you, all of these shinobi united together and it's all because of you."

"You are here by me as well."

"And I don't plan on leaving."

Naruto was stunned, did she mean?

"Naruto, I realized something, I realized I wasn't lying back in Iron Country."

"S—So you mean…"

Sakura looked up into his eyes, "Yes you baka, I love you."

And then they shared their first kiss.

XXXXXX

"Forehead!"

Ino Yamanaka barged into the room with a huge grin on her face.

"So forehead, are you ready? I mean this is the biggest day of your life right?"

Sakura smiled back at her and nodded, today was her wedding day, with one Naruto Uzumaki. Three years had passed since the end of the war and since Sasuke had returned to the village. It seemed even in the end Naruto had still in a way kept his promise.

"Of course! I am just a little nervous to be out in front of all those people."

"Well it's normal to be nervous in any wedding, but I guess since you are getting married to the Hero of the Leaf Village and future Sixth Hokage the pressure is even greater. I think the whole village is attending!"

"Definitely will be bigger than any wedding you'll have right Ino-pig?" Sakura replied with a grin.

"Oh shut up billboard brow, for your information I don't need a huge wedding!"

"More like you can't have a huge wedding."

Their bickering continued until Sakura's mother showed up.

"Well I guess it's time for me to leave, good luck Sakura Uzumaki." Ino said with a grin as she left.

Once Ino was gone it was just Sakura and her mother Mebuki.

"I'm so proud of you Sakura." Mebuki said as she hugged her daughter.

"Mom, I'm just getting married it's not THAT big of a deal."

"I don't mean just the marriage; I'm talking about everything you have done. You have grown so much since you were a child; you went from being bullied to gaining friends and confidence, although you managed to lose one of those friends along the way because of a stupid crush—"

"MOM! Why did you have to bring that up? Besides things have been fine between me and Ino for a long time now."

"I know dear, but still… I'm proud of you; could you see yourself in your shoes now six years ago?"

Sakura thought back to when she was twelve and thirteen, she had thought of Naruto as annoying and thought of marriage with only one man, Sasuke Uchiha. But now here she is, madly in love with the one person she couldn't stand back in the academy. How things change.

"I have come a long way haven't I?"

"And not just you, but your husband Naruto as well, you both helped each other grow in ways that wouldn't be possible if it were anyone else."

They talked for a few more moments until they noticed the time.

"I guess it's time for me to be going, your wedding starts soon," Mebuki made her way to the door and opened it, "see you later, Sakura Uzumaki." She left leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

"Sakura Uzumaki huh?" Sakura thought back to her mother's words.

'You can be whoever you want to be.'

Sakura smiled, "I am who I want to be."