AN: So, this is the new and improved version of Shattered Souls, some things have changed and some things have been added. I'm sorry to all my readers who were reading this story before, I know I deleted it without any warning but I really needed to fix what I had posted up before. Sasuke and Sakura will end up together I promise you all that but it will take some time so please just wait and enjoy the story. If anyone is good Beta reader, please PM me cause I could really use your lovely help! Thank you!

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Attachment to things drops away by itself when you no longer seek to find yourself in them.

-Eckhart Tolle

"Please…please spare me. You have beaten me well enough don't you think? Now, please let me go!" The trembling man cried.

The terrified man was pinned to a stone wall, his feet just barely touching the ground while the fierce ninja in front of him held him by his shirt collar. He thought to himself if he was going to die he would at least like to see the face of his killer. All he was granted was a couple words from said ninja and the site of the porcelain mask that adorned the face. But this was no ordinary ninja-this was an Elite shinobi who fit the bill perfectly clad in ominous black attireand according to the headband, they belonged to the Hidden Leaf Village.

Being the man that he was he still couldn't believe that this fierce ninja was a woman. He could tell that she in fact was very built. She had long luscious legs with plenty of muscle but just enough to keep them looking feminine; he couldn't believe that her arms looked so skinny, considering the fact that she had the strength of probably every human being on earth. A cold shiver went down his spine when he recalled the memory of feeling the earth move beneath him when she punched the ground and sent a massive earthquake towards him.

Unfortunately that was all he was able to see, for her armor kept the actual size of her breasts a hidden secret from him but she was indeed very curvy. Every dip and curve was in all the right places and her ass was very firm and plump. How in the world could someone like her be such a threat? He thought to himself. Time seemed to go by too slow in that moment with her when something caught his eye and only made him wish that he had never picked a fight with this woman.

There, just above her right breast, was the crest of a medical sign neatly patched onto the vest she wore on top of her armor. Could this be the girl that he was taught to flee from when recognizing this symbol? It just had to be. The top medical ninja in all of Konoha, the one who had surpassed the great Tsundae herself-her prodigy.

The grip on his shirt tightened as it began to scrape his neck like rope and she pressed the man onto the wall with more force causing the walls behind him begin to crack into many different directions like a spider web. His time was near, but being bold he asked her a question.

"Tell me, what does it feel like to have so much power?" the man near death asked.

"Why do you ask me such a thing?" she replied.

"I know who you are."

The woman cocked her head to the side in question. "Oh? Do you really now? Tell me then, who am I?"

"I am well informed of you. Although this is the first time I have ever laid my eyes upon you but I must admit you live up to your reputation. It would be nice if I could see your face."

"Reputation? And what exactly is that?"

"You are one of the three ninja students of the Leaf Village that trained under one of the legendary sannin...Sakura Haruno."

How in the world did this man know her name? Sakura knew that she had to dispose of this man quickly for it was getting dark and she was growing tired of him. She reached into one of her pouches that clung to her waist and pulled out a fan. It was quite beautiful to the eye, pink with red flowers designing the fan with a black handle that had her initials engraved at the bottom. She opened it quite gracefully like a geisha would and held it to the man's throat, her patience wearing thin.

"You insult me, are you going to kill me with a paper cut? At least the Uzumaki and Uchiha-"

With one quick swift of her wrist she slit the man's throat, causing him a deep gash as blood spewed out of him. He had underestimated her fan, for at the tips of her weapon was a sharp yet almost invisible scythe that could cut through anything.

She dropped the man to the floor and hovered over him. He was about ten seconds away from death as she took off her mask to reveal herself to him. Her jade eyes were dark and filled with anger, betrayal, resentment, and sadness. The man was gasping for air and blood continued to flow out of the cut on his neck; she nearly severed the man's head. She looked at him again for the last time as the light in his eyes slowly faded away.

"You will never say the name Uchiha again," She coldly said. And with that the man died.

Sakura flicked her fan to clean it of blood as she bent down next to the man. She sighed and began the process of securing all the information his body had of herself and what he had stolen from the Leaf Village. Once she was done she disposed of the body by burning it using a simple fire jutsu and began on her journey home.

That blasted name kept ringing in her ear, 'Uchiha'. He was once the love of her life, the very reason why she became a shinobi, the very reason why she asked Tsunade to place her under her wing. She wanted to get stronger, to help Naruto bring him home.

Years passed and both her and Naruto were not the same, he had trained under Jiraiya and she under Tsunade. They were finally reunited and were placed under her old sensei's care once again and they became Team Kakashi. Of course things were not the same, for they had what everyone called a "replacement Sasuke".

How she wished everyday for him to return. She would gaze upon the photo that they had taken when they were genin and she would always trace his features in the picture, always wondering how he was doing.

But the day they had found him, her heart skipped a beat but it was not what she expected. He tried to kill them! So many questions raced in her mind but this was the reason why she became what she is. But to everyone's disappointment they failed in bringing him back. Was all the training she and Naruto had endured for nothing? Time and time and again they failed and soon she gave up. Of course Naruto didn't, for he did promise her that he would bring him back, even if that was many years ago and his very first attempt failed. When Naruto made a promise, he kept it no matter what. That's what she loved about him, his determination and devotion to everything he does. She appreciated it, but deep down she let go of that dream already.

Slowly but surely her heart became cold and she was no longer the person she used to be. Only some parts of her remained, but only those closest to her would she reveal her old self to and even so it was still quite rare to see the old Sakura. She would envelope herself in her work at the hospital to get her mind off of things…off of him. She trained day in and day out, focusing in perfecting her jutsu's.

Soon enough she decided to apply to be an ANBU and passed with flying colors. She enjoyed being one for she was not alone. The rookie nine had become a mix between ANBU and Jounin with the exception of Shikamaru, Neji, and herself as ANBU captains. She had ranked up quite fast amongst her peers and took all her missions very seriously.

As time went by Sakura slowly buried the memories of her lost love in the deep trenches of her mind, never to be thought about again. She would not mention the Uchiha boy nor did she ever speak about him with anyone. She tore his portion of her picture and put it away in a box only to be forgotten to time. Now what sat at her bed side table was the picture of her, Naruto and her sensei , a tear in the picture at the left side.

She would sometimes have nightmares and dreams of the boy whose face she slowly started to forget. She had sworn to herself that she would no longer shed a tear for him. He didn't deserve it. Sakura finally overcame her feelings for him and with that she lost a part of herself, her soul. Now the only person she had left was Naruto. Sakura never did develop romantic feelings for him but more like considered him like family and as long as he stayed by her side she would keep what sanity she had left.

Sakura finally reached the gates of Konoha with a graceful landing. She removed her mask and began walking inside briefly greeting the ninja who were standing watch of the night shift with a lazy wave.

She decided that she was too tired and aggravated to report to Tsunade so instead of heading towards the Hokage tower, she went home. The medic-nin stopped by Ichirakus ramen shop to see if she could find Naruto to tell him that she was back home and okay but he wasn't there so she continued home.

Sakura opened her apartment door, and closed it behind her with a click. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the bathroom while stripping herself of her clothing on the way there leaving a trail of clothes behind her.

Finally arriving to her destination she stepped into the shower and turned the faucet and adjusted it to a warm setting letting the water cascade down her naked body and sooth her tense muscles, rinsing away all the dirt, grime and blood she had collected throughout the day . She stood there, her face void of all emotion not noticing the room getting steamy.

'Why did I react to his name like that? I've heard it plenty of times but never did I act like that. I mean, I didn't have to basically chop the man's head off.' Sakura turned the water off and stepped out the shower, wrapping a towel around herself, she made her way out and towards her bedroom.

Sakura dried herself and went to her draw to pull out a pair of fresh panties and a large t-shirt and slipped them on. Throwing herself on the bed afterwards she rolled onto her stomach tucking her arms under her pillow, her pink hair still damp from her shower while sleep was charging at her fast.

She closed her eyes letting sleep claim her as she repeated that haunting name into the silent night.

"Sasuke Uchiha."