Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

The rain fell gently around her, muting her senses down to the cold settling in. Absently, she brushed back a lock of wet hair, letting her hand fall back down. Up on her roof, she could see everything—the whole village laid out before her. The streets had emptied a long time ago, and the vendors had all gone home. In that moment, it felt like Sakura was the only person in the village.

Sakura didn't know what to think anymore.

The mission to Wave was the closest she had come to death, and it deeply unsettled her. While Naruto and Sasuke fought without hesitation, she had been paralyzed. She had been useless. Weak.

She watched the sea of lights before her, watched a village she had lived in all her life, and she didn't know what to think anymore. She had never felt so lost.

A chuunin patrol passed silently by, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. In a few seconds, they were out of sight. Sakura sighed. She had no true skills to speak of, not like Sasuke who had his sharingan, or Naruto who had shadow clones. All the same, she smiled faintly as she remembered their shocked looks when she had walked up the tree when they couldn't get a few steps.

She stared at the opposite roof of her neighbor, watching the rain drip down. She imagined vaulting over the gap, landing soundlessly like the chuunin. She imagined she kept going, over the looming village walls, but she recoiled from the thought. Konoha was all she'd ever known. But she had had no sleep, it was three in the morning, and it seemed a great idea, if only just to jump to her neighbor's roof. She had seen how using too much chakra blasted Naruto off the tree. Experimentally, she pushed up from her sitting position, pumping chakra to her hands…and almost fell off the roof.

Okay, she thought.

She stood up, took two steps back, and before she could think any more about it, pushed chakra to her feet and took a running leap across the three meter gap. Her jump took her over. She was smiling so wide her cheeks hurt, and her heart was pounding with exhilaration. But her momentum carried her on, and she couldn't stop, the next roof was a step away—

She barely made it, landing in a relieved heap.

"I did it," She breathed out. "I did it!" Sakura and Inner Sakura pumped their fists.

Then, adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she did it again. And again and again and again, until the stars disappeared and the sunrise lit the sky.

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A/N: Thanks for reading my first fic! I promise it will get better, so please give Chapter 2 a try ^^

Pls review! Think this fic is ok/has potential/is cringy? Shoot me a comment :D