Title: Fortis et Liber

Author: yuuago-chan

Rating: PG-13/T

Genre: Adventure/Friendship (subject to slight change)

Pairing: None as of now (subject to change)

Type: Continuous (Incomplete)

Written: January 9-12

Edited: January 21

Words: 4,746

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did, things would be a lot different.

Summary: She is strong. They never knew it because they never paid her enough mind to see that she was growing faster than they could ever give her credit for.

Author's Note: This is a Sakura-centric story that is going to focus on her growth as both a woman and a shinobi post-war. I feel as if Kishimoto does a relatively deplorable job at developing his female characters and almost all of the strong women in Naruto are either strong or weak because of a man.

I feel as if Kishi tends to focus so much on Sasuke and Naruto that he forgets about his other characters. So this story is about Sakura and her adventures. It is not a romance, and if I choose to put in a pairing including Sakura, I couldn't even tell you who it would be yet.

I will also add bits of chapters or even full chapters to the side characters – like Team Ten and Team Eight – who seem to be forced to the side and ignored and then randomly thrown in with their own chapter in the manga, doing jutsus and featuring new abilities we didn't even know they could.

Most of the Naruto and Sasuke you'll be getting in this story is going to be about their relationship with Sakura or as Team Seven as a whole – because let's face it, they are a major part of the story and Sakura wouldn't be who she is without them. It's going to focus on what I think her relationship with them should be – a mutual friendship that's about strength and love and support as opposed to them protecting or shielding her.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story and please let me know what you think!

The title is a latin phrase: "Strong and Free."

Fortis et Liber

Chapter 1: Trial by Fire

The formula was confusing. Confounding, really; but she was sure that she had it right. But if it was, if the formula that she had created for this particular antidote to this particular poison was indeed correct, it could mean that Suna would soon be at war with their neighbors to the north. The numbers and letters ran down the page in a confusing flurry of red and black ink. There were parts that were crossed out, circled again, moved by arrows pointing the symbols in the right direction, and probably wouldn't make sense to any sane human being.

Sighing, Sakura forced the stopper into the vial where the translucent poison that Gaara had brought on his diplomatic visit from Wind Country was held and placed it carefully back into the cabinet by her desk. She threw the testing strips into the biohazard waste basket and moved to wipe down any of the liquid that had spilled on her work table that sat adjacent to her desk.

Suna medics had found the new poison in a number of their fallen shinobi after a string of several dangerous and lethal missions. The poison would quickly metabolize in their enemy's bodies and then send electrical signals throughout the nervous system, making it nearly impossible for the shinobi to control their movements. They were then wide open to attack. The effects of the poison made Sakura shudder a bit when she first heard them, reminding her of Kabuto's chakra scalpel.

The medics in Suna were having trouble breaking down the masterfully crafted poison, so the head medic suggested that Gaara bring it to Konoha, their best allies and home to three of the greatest medics in the shinobi world, when he came for his annual meetings with Tsunade. The vial had been quickly handed off to Sakura who set to work right away. She hadn't even been able to greet or catch up with the Sand siblings properly.

Scowling to herself and moving mechanically, Sakura took her notebook and locked it into one of the side drawers and sealed it for good measure, flipping her bangs out of her face when she stood up. The final formula for the antidote needed to be tested before she could even think of giving it to Gaara. However, she was also sure he would find her sometime later to get an informal update on the poison.

She surveyed the area around her to make sure that she didn't leave a mess anywhere or any chemicals out that could potentially be dangerous just as she looked at the time on the clock that sat on her desk. Great, she was almost late. Her tiny office in the basement of the hospital was cramped and a little cluttered, but Sakura was able to keep it organized and it put her not too far from the labs in the basement as well as the stairs that led straight to the cafeteria and emergency room.

"Hey."

Sakura jumped a little, a surprised squeak leaving her mouth when someone startled her out of her thoughts. A raucous laughter soon followed from the man who had startled her half out of her skin.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled before she could even stop herself. It was muscle memory, their friendship. It was easy, and she liked that. It was full of ramen dates and punches and training sessions and movie nights. Their friendship was low-pressure now that Hinata had confessed to Naruto (plus, watching those two dance around their own burgeoning romance was incredibly amusing). Turning to face him, a smile already playing on her lips before she even saw the stupid blond, Sakura grinned at him while shaking her fist menacingly. "It's been a while since I got a good punch in, Naruto."

Naruto mockingly held his hands up in a passive gesture.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I figured you would be more alert than that. You know, being on the roster for a jounin promotion and everything," he mocked a little.

Sakura's best friend hadn't changed too much over the year and a half since the war. He was much taller than her now. When they had been sixteen and fighting the good fight together, he had been two or three inches taller, but now he stood nearly five or six inches above her. His scruffy blond hair had grown out so that the longest strands tickled the back of his neck; the only thing holding his golden mane in place was his forehead protector

And suddenly he looked just like his father – the face of the Fourth Hokage superimposing in front of Naruto as Sakura looked – and she didn't know how she hadn't seen the resemblance sooner.

But he was still Naruto. He still laughed and joked and caused trouble. While he was more serious now and took his career as a shinobi to heart, the youthful, troublesome twinkle never left his eyes.

Despite everything.

The only thing that had really changed was them. They were closer since the war. Instead of just teammates and sparring partners, they were real friends. The two were now practically inseparable and spent a good chunk of their free time together. It was something that Sakura had always needed from him – not a potential suitor asking her out on dates and following her around like a lost puppy – but a best friend.

"Are you coming?" he asked. His deep voice was a little strained. "We're going to be late."

Sakura bit her lip and her smile automatically became strained. She took off her white lab coat and hung it on the hook by the door. "Yeah, I'm coming," she finally agreed.

She pulled on a thick winter jacket before Naruto smiled back at her and led her out of the large building and onto the cold Konoha streets, draping his large arm around her shoulders to help keep her warm. This winter had been particularly brutal to the usually temperate country. Instead of the flurries of snow that they usually encountered, nearly a foot had been dumped onto the streets of Konoha before the New Year. The temperatures were at record lows and the entire town was bundled in their thickest jackets just to get through the days. After sundown, almost nobody bothered leaving their homes.

"He told me you haven't come to see him yet," Naruto remarked with forced nonchalance when they turned the corner from the hospital on the way to the Hokage Tower. Sakura stiffened underneath the weight of his arm, sniffling a bit through her cold nose.

"I haven't."

"But you've come and taken Juugo from the cell right next to his almost every week? And you haven't even said hi?" Naruto asked. Sakura could tell he was trying not to accuse her or anger her, but her ire rose nonetheless. So did her guilt.

"Yes," was her short reply.

"Listen, Sakura-chan, he's different now. He's not completely better, but there's been a big improvement. You have to give him a chance. You're speaking out for Juugo today, right?" Naruto asked. His voice was heartbreaking. Any time Naruto attempted to bring up the S-word in the past year and a half, Sakura would quickly change the subject or avoid talking about it. She knew it hurt Naruto to have her avoid his best friend like that, but Sakura just wasn't ready yet.

Too much had happened between them all. She wasn't as good as a person as Naruto was. She couldn't just forgive so easily.

Plus, he reminded her of a different time; a time when she was weaker. She didn't want to regress to those times, and him being back made her feel like that could happen. It scared her, honestly; she would never be weak again.

"He's been in jail for over a year and today is his first parole hearing. Could you just root for him to get out? Please? For me?" He was practically begging now.

Sakura sighed and looped her arm around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. Anybody who didn't know them would think them a couple. "Alright, Naruto. I'll try, I promise."

When the finally entered the large hall that was being used as a courtroom, Sakura spied the four members of Team Taka sitting in a row in front of a large podium where Tsunade and the two village elders that made up the Konoha council were sitting. They were facing away from the main doors so she couldn't see any of their faces. Sakura growled under her breath and scowled at Homura and Koharu, and Naruto's hold on her shoulders tightened a bit; to suppress his own anger or to comfort her, she wasn't sure.

"Down girl," Naruto whispered with a forced chuckle. Ever since he came clean to Sakura about the Uchiha massacre – which had mostly been an accident because they had gotten completely drunk one night (the night Sasuke was sentenced to an indefinite amount of time in prison) and the idiot had spilled the entire story in a night of drunken delirium – Sakura had a hard time coming to terms with what her village had once done and her feelings towards Sasuke. That's when she realized why it was a secret – if she was having trouble dealing with it, then how would the less loyal shinobi or even civilians handle that kind of news?

The duo released each other when they entered the main floor and went up to the witness section where Kakashi, Morino Ibiki, and several others sat who would testify either for or against allowing the team out of prison. Since the witness podium was placed right next to the head of the room, Sakura was able to face her mentor and the two locked eyes. Tsunade gave her a grim smile and Sakura understood perfectly – Homura and Koharu had no intentions of letting the Uchiha out. If they did, he'd probably kill them.

Not that she blamed him. Sakura wanted them dead too.

Hoards of shinobi filed into the large meeting room and took their seats on long wooden benches that surrounded the main floor. Most of them were people who knew Sasuke – what was left of the Konoha Eleven, Iruka, Kurenai and her son, and many others. There were also some who were part of the effort to bring him home, those who fought in the war, and others who just wanted to know what would become of the last Uchiha this year.

Sakura turned and saw that on a raised platform towards the back of the room sat Gaara and his two siblings. How all three of them managed to get away from Suna for a week, she would never know. The Kazekage was looking around the room stringently, but his gaze softened a bit when his bright sea foam green eyes finally met hers. She quirked the side of her lip up in what she hoped looked like a smile, but the understanding look Gaara gave back told her she hadn't been able to pull it off.

From her new position, she could now see the faces of the prisoners who were having their hearing. Karin looked bored, Suigetsu had his usual toothy grin displayed, and Juugo looked worried. She caught the largest member's eye. She had spent the past year studying his condition and what chemically happened to his body when he lost his temper. During this time, she and Juugo had formed an interesting bond. At least once a week, she would be allowed to remove him from his cell and examine him in the hospital. It was incredibly interesting, Juugo's condition, and helped her understanding of Orochimaru's experimental practices grow to heights she had never imagined. Giving him a reassuring smile, her unlikely friend seemed to relax a bit and he smiled back.

Finally, Sakura shifted her gaze to the man at the end of the line. She couldn't tell since he was sitting down, but it looked as if he had grown even taller. His shoulders were broader than she remembered and his hair was longer. But he was still the same Sasuke – the same heartbreakingly familiar Sasuke who she had pined for and cried over since she was twelve. At least, that was, until the war. There was nothing like facing one of the most difficult, deranged shinobi in history to put one's priorities in order.

Suddenly, boys didn't seem so important to Sakura – especially after she had been left behind once again by her two teammates while they did all the fighting.

Sasuke glanced up in her direction, and they made eye contact for the briefest of moments before Tsunade cleared her throat and began the hearing, giving a thankful Sakura reason to move her eyes forward and onto her teacher.

Tsunade began in her most professional voice – Sakura was sure it was due to the Kazekage's presence – announcing the meeting. She read the charges that Sasuke and his team had been convicted of just over a year prior – treason, murder, attempted murder, use of forbidden jutsu, defection, etc. Then, she read his sentence: an indefinite amount of time in prison where the prisoners would be rehabilitated. A parole hearing would be held every year to ascertain their progress and determine if they were fit for release.

Sakura sat stock still, listening to her shishou and focusing on her upcoming testimony, which would simply be medical testimony of Juugo and the others. Then Tsunade began calling witnesses.

Ibiki was the first to be called, and the larger man made his way down to an uncomfortable wooden chair placed just below the area where the other witnesses were sitting. A small microphone was placed in front of him so his words could be heard throughout the entire room. Ibiki met with the four prisoners at least once a month to discern their mental status, so he was an integral expert witness. Tsunade questioned him, and then Homura and Koharu would then be allowed to question him in their own turn. Naruto was called, the Kakashi and even Sai. Guards from the prison were questioned about Taka's conduct and more.

With each passing witness, Sakura became more and more frustrated.

Homura and Koharu were attacking Sasuke left and right, drudging up the worst possible moments from his past. Each time they would stand to question a witness, they would make her former teammate relive what could have been some of the most horrible moments of his life – including the massacre. Not once did they mention the positive acts Sasuke had done. They didn't talk about how he killed Orochimaru, helped kill Madara and Obito, or how he had even fought after that. When a witness would bring up one of these acts, the elder who was questioning the witness would quickly side step the rebuttal.

All the while, Sasuke sat in his chair, stone-faced and impassive, as if he couldn't hear them at all.

Sakura gave Naruto a lot of credit when Homura and Koharu started their long winded attack against Sasuke while he was in the witness chair. He didn't raise his voice once, but simply defended his friend to the best of his abilities, astounding the entire room, Sakura included, with his newfound maturity.

Kakashi was inexpressive but didn't handle the verbal abuse as well as Naruto did, surprisingly. But Kakashi was excellent at verbal quips of his own and so his retorts couldn't even be considered disrespectful to the elders.

Sai was the most shocking testimony of all. In the middle of his questioning, right as Homura began to question him, he turned to Sasuke and thanked him for killing Danzou – right out loud and thanked him with that weird smile he always had. Sasuke actually looked surprised for a moment, the only sign of this being the slightest widening of his onyx eyes, which in turn almost made Sakura snort out loud.

Finally, Sakura heard Tsunade call her name. She moved stiffly, trying not to look in the direction of anyone in particular because if she did, she might just lose it. Her patience and temper were teetering on the edge. Moving down the stairs of the witness area and taking a seat to the side where she could see everyone except her fellow witnesses behind her, Sakura fidgeted nervously as she waited for Tsunade to start.

After several quiet, tense moments, Tsunade cleared her throat again and began to speak. Sakura focused on what Tsunade was saying, answering the questions and explaining Juugo's progress to the best of her abilities. It felt like a normal conversation with the Godaime, and she was able to lose herself to the facts, the medicine, ignoring Homura and Koharu the best she could. She must have talked for several minutes, but her time speaking with Tsunade seemed short. All too soon, Koharu stood up to address her.

"Haruno Sakura," the older woman greeted. Sakura gave her a curt nod. "Do you understand why you were not questioned on the matter of Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sakura shot back shortly. Where was the old bat going with this? Her testimony wasn't even supposed to address Sasuke at all. "I have a conflict of interest."

"And what would that conflict of interest be, Haruno-san?"

Sakura huffed. "He is my former teammate."

Sakura looked up at Koharu and tried her best not to glance to where Sasuke and his fellow inmates were sitting.

"Ah, yes, your former teammate. I noticed you did not call him a friend, as many of your peers would call their teammates," Koharu muttered into her own microphone. "When was the last time you had any direct contact with Uchiha Sasuke?"

"The day before his trial last year," Sakura replied shakily. Clenching and unclenching her fists, Sakura tried to keep herself from losing her cool. Koharu nodded her head and looked down at a piece of paper she had.

"What did you two talk about before his trial, Haruno-san?" the older woman asked. Sakura bit back a rude retort.

"It was a personal conversation and had nothing to do with his impending trial," Sakura replied in a more professional voice than she thought herself capable at the moment.

The woman questioning her frowned at the young kunoichi's answer but moved on anyway. "What are your personal feelings towards your former teammate, Haruno-san?"

Bristling, Sakura shot the elder an unrepentantly disrespectful look. "May I ask what this line of questioning has to do with the physical or mental conditions of the three prisoners I was asked to assess, none of whom are Uchiha Sasuke?" she bit back.

"Why so disrespectful and short all of a sudden, Haruno-san? You did an excellent job of testifying to Tsunade-sama and have covered all bases for the other three. I am simply asking you a question," Koharu replied. However, her face was sharp and the woman didn't look pleased by Sakura's sudden impudence. "Now, what are your personal sentiments towards Uchiha Sasuke?"

Red. She saw red. Sakura tried to stop herself from shaking, but she couldn't. Clutching the hem of her medic's skirt, she turned her face to her lap so she wouldn't have to look at the two elders – or at Sasuke. She stayed silent.

When Koharu saw that it was going nowhere, she asked another question. "It is true that Uchiha Sasuke attempted to take your life on two separate occasions?"

There was a still silence in the room where suddenly all attention was on her. It was as if every person was suddenly holding their breath, waiting to see what she would say. Her previous fights with Sasuke were hardly secret and had even been addressed in his trial, but Sakura was one of the more influential shinobi in Konoha.

She was the apprentice to the Godaime, a medic at the hospital and in the field and was many times the first person that a shinobi saw when they woke up from what should have been their death. She was the angel that brought them back to their loved ones and home – a scary angel with a wicked temper and hard fist, but an angel nonetheless. She volunteered at the academy and the veterinary clinic and had a special bond with many of the children and parents in Konoha. Her perspective on what had occurred those many years ago could hold a lot of weight to those who would decide the fate of Uchiha Sasuke and his teammates.

Sakura thought of Naruto and her best friend's plea with her earlier. Sure, Sakura was still mad at Sasuke. She still resented him. He had left her behind all those years ago and had never come back – not for her. So what did she owe him? Nothing.

However, his imprisonment was wrong. He had suffered enough at the hands of the council, and she couldn't let it continue. Her conscious wouldn't let her. So, still clutching her skirt between her shaking, white fingers, Sakura mustered up the will to speak.

"I tried to kill him first," she finally murmured to her knees, barely audible.

"Are you saying that Uchiha-san was acting in self-defense?" Koharu scoffed instantly.

"No," Sakura shot back loudly and quickly, startling many others in the room who were not expecting such sudden vehemence. Her eyes were burning in fiery anger as she stared down the pitiful elder without remorse. Chakra began to flare through her system, and for the first time Sakura could remember, she couldn't control it. Grabbing the arms of the chair to keep herself grounded to reality, she realized that her hands were glowing green and chakra scalpels seemed to have formed of their own accord. Tsunade stood to stop the madness, but two figures suddenly appeared next to Sakura to control her sudden outburst.

A strong hand gripped her shoulder from her right and another grabbed her left hand. Sakura looked back and saw Kakashi standing behind her, holding her shoulder tightly in his gloved hand as if to hold her back and warn her simultaneously. His lone visible eye was burning, though, and he didn't look down at her. Instead, he set a deadpan stare right on the podium.

Naruto crouched to her right, his eyes dangerously angry, and held her left hand in his much larger hands. However, judging by the threatening glint in his eye, Sakura felt that perhaps she was reassuring him, holding him to his own reality, more than he was for her. So she squeezed the outsides of his hands with her lone one.

But perhaps that's what they were there for. Not to hold her back, but to hold her up when she felt like she was going to fall. Reassured by the presence of her friends, Sakura straightened herself back up and sent a challenging gaze towards the head podium once again, taking a calming breath and preparing for her continuation. Team Seven would stand united on this front, despite her personal feelings.

"I'm saying that I'm not innocent either. I'm a shinobi, a kunoichi, and a damn good one. I've killed for my village, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. That day, I was doing what I thought was best for my village, my friends, and even myself, and Sasuke was doing what he thought was best for himself too. So I'm not innocent. None of us are. Is it fair that we air out Sasuke's dirty laundry, spill all of his secrets, when there are many of us who should be on trial?" Sakura finally spoke in a much more confident voice than she thought possible.

There was an accusing lilt to her words and as her and the elder locked eyes, a silent war waged between the two. Sakura tilted her mouth up on one end to say simply: Oh yeah, I know. And if you know what's good for you, you should shut up right here and now or the entire village is going to know your dirty secret.

The room tensed and Sakura could feel the burning gazes of those who knew the truth. Kakashi's grip on her shoulder tightened, a warning, but she ignored it. Sakura wouldn't say anything, and she knew her threat was empty the moment she spilled the words. It was just important that the two elders didn't know she was bluffing.

"We all have secrets, Koharu-sama. We all have done things that nobody else should ever know. Sasuke is one in the same," Sakura continued. "His life has been punishment enough. Should we really force him to live in prison?"

You've done enough to hurt him. Let him go. She was saying.

Koharu sighed and glared at her before nodding her head.

"No further questions, Haruno-san."

"Sakura-chan."

She had to put chakra restraints on his wrists so he wouldn't jump out of the hospital. He would only hurt himself if he did. He would be right back at that training ground, pushing himself too hard.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"You're the best person I know."

Sometimes he just said these things that stole her breath away. How she wished she could love him.

"And you're better, Naruto. You're better."

"Hurray, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out. Her hands were locked in his, and her bumbling idiot of a best friend swung her around in circles. Head thrown back, Sakura let out a wild laugh when she and Naruto finally fell down from their shenanigans. The streets were filled with people, shinobi and civilians alike, who were staring at the raucous duo with either looks of annoyance or amusement. Many others were still filing out of the meeting-room-turned-courtroom, and many of her peers were congratulating her on a job well done. Her little speech had suddenly made her the hero of the trial. Sakura grinned at her own confidence, although she was still shaken on the inside from her burning anger. There was clapping from her other friends, who congratulated her fervently for standing up for herself. "You got Sasuke-teme out!"

"Conditionally, Naruto," Kakashi reminded, but the crinkle in his eye spoke leagues of his pleasure for the situation as well. "You are a rebel, Sakura-chan."

He ruffled her hair, earning a light smack on the shoulder from Sakura. Sai approached her and awkwardly hugged her, only ending it when his hands slipped lower and he tried to feel her ass and Sakura drove her fist into his side. Sakura giggled when Ino jumped on her back, putting her full weight on Sakura. Although Ino didn't care for Sasuke and his snarky attitude, she was still thrilled that Sakura had stood up for herself. It was about time her best girlfriend really showed the world what she had to offer. It was coming out, Sakura's independence, little by little, but today was a huge step.

"You go Forehead!"

Shikamaru patted her on the shoulder, and Chouji pushed a full back of chips into Sakura's hands in celebration. Kiba called for drinks, which Kakashi quickly shot down, citing that most of them were not yet eighteen and still technically underage. The celebration ended up moving to training ground two, which was a wide open field that had several picnic tables and was used more as a recreation area for the practicing academy students than a training ground.

Snow covered the open field, but on top of a low hill at the back of the training ground, a small pavilion sat that was temporarily tented in thick boards to keep the heat in and the cold out. Thanks to a few strategically placed katon jutsu, the shinobi were able to temporarily forget the frigid winter and enjoy the evening.

Chouji's mom brought a portable barbeque grill and made food for the members of the Konoha 11 who were present – everyone minus the deceased Neji, Shino and Lee who were on missions, and Hinata who had a clan meeting to attend. Kakashi and Genma also came as did Iruka and many others stopped by throughout the day.

The shinobi who, although kept their perhaps less-than-pleasant personal feelings towards Sasuke quiet, had thought his punishment harsh. He had done a lot during the war to help Konoha, and most of the Leaf's ninja felt that a long prison term was unforgiving and unnecessary.

So, together, they celebrated. Because tomorrow, for the first time in many years, Uchiha Sasuke would be released from prison a free man.

Conditionally, of course.

"And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of men. We teach them to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, 'You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise, you will threaten the man.'" – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

-o-owari-o-

I will do my best to update the next chapter rapidly! Also, with the exception of caffeine, reviews are my drug. Feed my habit, people. Love, Yuuago-chan