~Chapter 1 : Falling~

It was spring time and the cherry blossom trees were starting to bloom. The young kunoichi leaned against the railing of the wooden bridge that held so many of her childhood memories. As a gentle breezed caressed her rosy cheeks she leaned forward looking into the distance, her emotionless emerald eyes studying the soft pink blossom that held the same name as her. But unlike these beautiful flowers, she wasn't strong, she wasn't loved or admired or pretty. She was weak, ugly and a sorry excuse for a shinobi. She was now hated by the people who used to mean the world to her. She was all alone and forgotten like a broken flower.

True, she did train under the legendary Tsunade. Her skills as a medical ninja and as a shinobi grew with every passing day until she surpassed the Godaime herself. The Hokage placed her as head of the Konoha hospital and used her in multiple A rank and S rank missions. She would have had her hours at the hospital cut to be part of her village's Anbu this week if things were still the same. But they weren't.

Where did she go wrong, she didn't know. All she knew was that her teacher abandoned her, her former sensei and father figure dishonoured her and her best friend hated her with all his heart. A silent tear fell from her sadden eyes as she closed them. Letting the wind hit her face and her pink hair gently brush her face she let out a shaky breath.

Since team 7 brought Sasuke back to the village, everything Sakura worked for slipped further and further away with each passing day. Since his return, Sasuke kept reminding her of how weak and useless she was compared to Karin, his new protégée. Always getting in the way and having to be rescued like back when they were twelve, she would only drag the team down and be a nuisance like she always was. And the more he compared her to his precious jewel, the more her friends and teachers started to focus on her faults and forget all the potential and confidence she gained trough the years. They started admiring Karin who appeared to be a promising new addition to Konoha's shinobi. Quickly gaining her shisou's attention, the Hokage ended up giving all her time to her new favourite student Karin and forgetting all about her top pupil. With Sasuke back, her former sensei decided it was time to catch up on all the years that were lost to the snake. Kakashi decided to replace Sakura's training time with Sasuke's.

Discourage and heart broken she went to the only person she could trust, her best friend Naruto. She tried to explain to her best friend about all the changes that were going on because of the redhead and how she felt about loosing everything she knew and loved. His reaction to her words wasn't what she expected from the blond. He screamed at her and accused her of being jealous of their new team-mate. His words filled with hate and accompanied by an icy and distant tone. Naruto even called her weak and as those words left his lips, Sakura's world came crashing down.

Sakura opened her eyes ounce again and returned her gaze to the cherry blossom tree she was staring before. The same name, but completely different. She didn't have friends anymore, she wasn't loved anymore. No one cared. They all tough of her as the weak link that needed to be replaced and who better to replace her then the Hokage's new star pupil Karin. Naruto started ignoring her after their fight and took Karin out for ramen on daily bases. It was something Naruto would only do with her, but that was before hell came knocking at her door. All her girl friends complete forgot her and spent all their time hanging with Karin. It seems she was more interesting then the pinkette ever was. Even her mother figure forgot that she existed and regretted all the time she wasted on training her.

A second tear rolled threaten to fall from her gloomy eyes, but Sakura caught it before it ran down her cheek. I won't cry…I can't cry. Not now, not ever. Sakura lifted her head towards the sky, it was already dark. How long has she been there, she didn't know, she didn't care. With one last glance at her favourite tree, she pushed herself off the railing one tough in mind: I'm going to leave this forsaken place and I'll never come back. I lost my place as a shinobi, my senseis, my friends, my family, my home. I only have hate left in my heart for this place and the people that belong to it. I have no more trust and no more love, only myself. Turning around, she started her way home, not before letting one sentence escape her pale lips in a low whisper: "Happy birthday Haruno Sakura."

Well, here's the first chapter of my first story. I know that there isn't a lot of "action" in this chapter. But that's how I want it to be and it's important to understand Sakura's past to understand her futur actions and what motivates her to act certain ways in various situation. Hoped you enjoyed it and feel free to review if you want. I enjoy reading people's opinions and comments on what I write.

~tainted cherry blossom~ P.S. I, tainted cherry blossom, do not own naruto, but I own the plot of this story as well as the title of this story.