Author's Note: This chapter's not that good, but it's just to say what happened. The next chapter will start at episode 3 onwards, with Team 7 being formed and the missions. I'm trying to get all the words from the original episodes right so it may take a while.

Summary: On the night of the Uchiha Massacre, Sakura went to the Uchiha Compound to visit Sasuke, but she found Itachi and was missing for three years. She was found and put onto Team 7 after the graduation test.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Sakura Box

Chapter One: The Girl In The Box

"Sasuke Uchiha, I came to ask your permission to search the Uchiha compound for a missing girl." The Third Hokage said to eleven year old Sasuke outside his classroom.

"A missing girl? Why would she be there?" He asked, not liking the thought of anyone being in that place after what happened.

"She has been missing for over three years now actually. She was last seen going into the compound, carrying a box of presumably food, on the night... Your family died." The Third Hokage did not want to remind him of this, but it had to be said. "There is a chance that Itachi killed her. She was in your class, her name is Sakura Haruno."

Seven year old Sasuke hid in the trees, not wanting to waste his time with the pink haired girl. Once she was gone he came out and mumbled to himself. "Great, now I'm not going to have to stay later to train, so that I can be as good as big brother."

"Hm, I saw her that day after class." He looked at the floor, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Alright, you can search for her, but I want everything left as it was." He said the last part harshly.

"Thank you, the search shouldn't take long. You can go back to class now." The Third Hokage smiled and turned to leave when Sasuke spoke again.

"Why wasn't she found, when ANBU took all the bodies out, if she was there." He asked.

"The ANBU weren't really searching for anything, all the bodies of the Uchiha were found, at the time she wasn't really missing."

"Lord Hokage!" The ANBU rushed into the room, not even bothering to knock. "We found her, Sakura Haruno, she's alive!"

"What?! How could she have survived this long?" The Third Hokage stood up instantly.

The ANBU looked through the contents of the upstairs cupboard in the hall, certain that this was a waste of time. In the middle of the floor was a metal box, padlocked but with the key on top, he sensed some chakra coming from it. Opening it, he expected to see a semi-important scroll, protected by a jutsu, but he found a girl. She was bone-thin, with long pink hair, the hair didn't look like it had been brushed properly, maybe just had fingers ran through it. She smelled too, but that was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment. Her clothes looked far too small for her, but were still very loose. Her shoes were in the box with her, obviously too small for her feet. The only other thing in the box, was a see-through bag of small, brown pills.

The girl's eyes opened, her skinny fingers gripping the edge of the box to pull herself up. "Guys!" The ANBU called out to his team. "Get in here, now!" The girl now stood in front of him, her eyelids dropping before she forced them open repeatedly. He heard footsteps as the girl collapsed unconscious, and he caught her as his team arrived.

"She was locked in a box in a cupboard, with the key on top. The box had a small hole in it too. It was in the house where Sasuke lived." The ANBU explained. "I found her with a bag of food pills, it seems like she survived off of them."

"Amazing..." The Third Hokage was stunned, he had no idea food pills could keep a person, with no food or water, alive for over three years.

"She's in the hospital now." The Third Hokage nodded and left to visit her.

"In here, Lord Hokage." A young nurse led The Third Hokage to Sakura Haruno. She lay in a hospital bed, a few tubes connected to her, wearing a hospital gown, unconscious. She had obviously been showered, and her hair brushed. "She hasn't woken up yet, but she should soon. When she does, please get her to eat and drink what's on that tray." He nodded and the nurse left.

After The Third Hokage had waited for a while, having read over Sakura's records several times, she eventually woke. She looked shocked for a moment as she saw the hospital room. "Sakura Haruno," He walked up next to her, she nodded slightly in response to her name. "You're in hospital, you were found in a box, could you please tell me what happened?"

"L... Lord Hokage?" Her voice was croaky, having had nothing to drink for three years. He nodded, helping her to sit up and handing her the tray. She took a drink slowly and started to eat. "Mmm... I missed food..." She said quietly to herself, before speaking to the Hokage. "I... Went to see Sasuke... And bring him, some food..." The Third Hokage sat next to her, listening to her slow voice. It didn't sound croaky anymore, since she had the water to drink. "On the streets... The... He did that... Those people..."

"You saw the Uchiha's bodies?" He asked, leaning closer to hear her better. She nodded slowly.

"He... Showed me... When I found him there..." She seemed scared, but only slightly. "His eyes... Red... He said that... He didn't have time... To deal with me... He had to... Take care, of his brother..."

"That person you met, is Itachi Uchiha. He is Sasuke's older brother. He is no longer in the Leaf Village, you don't have to worry about him."

"He put me, in a box... I was scared... I.... Couldn't move... But... There was a bag... Pills... I didn't know what... They were, but... I was starving... I guess... They kept me alive... It feels so good to be.... Free..." She stretched her arms and legs, smiling at how far she could reach them. "How long...Has it been?"

"Over three years." The Third Hokage lifted part of the food for her, reminding her to eat it. She nodded as she ate. "Once you get your strength back, you can go back to the academy." She nodded again, finishing the food and lying down to rest. The after affects of the food pill, which had just worn off when she was found, meant that she was exhausted.

"Okay class, as you may have heard," Iruka spoke to his class of eleven year olds, "There was a search for Sakura Haruno, who was in this class a few years ago. She was found. I can't give any details, but she will be returning to class soon."

Sasuke stared at the desk in front of him.

"Well, did they find anything?" He asked the Third Hokage impatiently, wanting the ANBU out of the Uchiha Compound. It wasn't that he didn't want the girl found, he just didn't like people being there.

"Yes, she was found." Sasuke looked shocked, he hadn't expected that. "It seems she went there to bring you food, and found the bodies. When she ran into Itachi, he showed her what he had done using his Sharingan, as he did with you. He then locked her in a box in the cupboard."

"So... She's dead..." He looked down sadly. He felt it was his fault, if he had spoken to the girl earlier then she wouldn't have been there in the first place. He also felt his hatred for his brother grow even more, she would have starved there, since the Hokage didn't mention him wounding her, she may have even suffocated if the box was air tight. It would've been kinder to just kill her instantly, not give her a slow death.

"No. She's fine." Sasuke looked up, his eyes wide. "The box had an air hole in it, and a bag of food pills kept her alive. She's in the hospital, recovering."

"Can't you tell us anything?!" Ino Yamanaka cried out, even if they weren't friends at the time of her disappearance, she had been worried about her.

"I'm sorry, I can't. But," Iruka added, "When she does come back, I don't want anyone asking her where she's been or what happened."

"Okay, Sakura, your lunch is in your bag. Are you sure you're ready? Do you need any more time to rest before you go back to the academy?" Sakura's mother fussed over her as she ate breakfast.

"I'm fine." Sakura didn't even look up to answer her as she slowly ate. "Thank you for breakfast. Bye." She picked up her bag and left her house. She wore baggy black trousers, normal ninja shoes, a loose dark red top, with short sleeves and pale pink lines and circles on it. As she headed down the road, Ino came out of her own house.

"Oh, Sakura." Ino's voice was quiet, shocked by Sakura's appearance. She's so skinny... Her hair got so long... Ino thought. Wait, Sasuke likes girls with long hair, she knows that! She's trying to steal him from me, well I won't let her.

Ino sat in her bedroom, thinking on her bed. I don't understand it. Sakura's been back three weeks now, but she's so different! She doesn't flirt with Sasuke, she doesn't even talk to him, or sit next to him. I've seen her training a few times after school and she really concentrates on her schoolwork. Whatever happened really changed her, but when I asked, she ignored me and I got into trouble with Iruka-sensei! Ino sighed and went downstairs for dinner.

Sakura sat on the grass in a training ground, watching blood drip from the small cut on her arm. It was already dark, but she could see it perfectly. Wanting to hurry home and have her mothers tasty dinner, she collected her weapons and stood still for a moment. Focusing chakra to the cut, she closed her eyes to concentrate and the wound started to heal. When that was finished, she went home.