Disclaimer: Yeah, me no own Naruto...you know the drill

This is just a...drabble of sorts, it's just my reply to fanfictions were Sasuke always sees Sakura after the time skip and is like "Oh my gosh! She's strong! I've never would have guessed little wimpy Sakura was this strong!" and I'm like...sure, he'd be SO surprised..I mean, he called her weak, like, that one time? Enlighten me if I'm wrong (seriously, I don't know if there's some scene I'm missing). And, he's not an idiot, it's not like he would have never guessed...maybe I'm wrong, and this is going to be proved wrong by the manga later, but, psh, whatever, for now this is what I think. (yes, this is a rant)

(Oh, and, sorry, anyone who has read my other fic...I haven't updated in like, half a year...heh heh, yeah, about that...)

You knew she had potential.

Back when you were on the same team, you saw her. She may have thought you never noticed, but you did. You saw how hard she worked hard even when there was no hope, you saw when she kept going on and didn't give up. You saw her try, even when she knew she couldn't change or accomplish something; she did not abandon her purpose.

On your first mission, your team was ambushed by two rain ninja. She should have frozen up then. She didn't. She knew her duty as a ninja, and in the face of death, protected the old man who was, you thought, not worth dying for. But she had a noble spirit, and she stood in front him of against an enemy she knew she could not beat.

In the end, your team leader stopped the ninja and saved you all, and her act of bravery was lessened to an "it's only what's expected of you" kind of act. But it was then when you first noticed something about her.

During the Chuunin exam, you had gotten hurt, were exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, and she wanted you to retire. You told her, not one to beat around the bush, to shut up. Your words stung (you could tell by the way her eyes widened and her stature shrank), but she would not let your words sway her. You were annoyed, and she was getting in the way of your ambition. You didn't hide the fact. But you were also, just a little bit, surprised, grateful, and also sad that she cared so much and hadn't given up on you (why she worried so much anyways was beyond you. You were sure that you were not worth that much care).

A while before then she had proposed to train with you, but you had quickly shut her down, peeved and pushing her away from yourself. You told her she was the worst on the team. It was true, but that did not mean you thought she was worthless or hopelessly weak (and it was not like being stronger than you or your other teammate was an easy thing). However, you hated that she was as weak as she was, because it meant many things, one of them being that she could have been defeated (killed, you say) easily, which somehow to you was not a good thing (this was similar but different than the normal feeling of regret when a human being dies). You needed her to become stronger, because if she died (no, no, no), you knew a part of you would die with her (that isn't a good, thing, is it? You weren't supposed to become attached to people).

So she had been weak, maybe even horribly so. But she was not completely useless. Her chakra control was amazing, better than your blond teammate's (however not surprising that is) and, though you hated to admit it, better than yours. She also had a natural knack for genjutsu, even if she did not take advantage of it. (You could not help yourself that one time –she had been acting strange, downcast, before the exam, and you figured she was probably aware at that time, more than ever, of her lacking of physical strength. You did not like to see her, who was so normally cheerful, so upset. So you did something you'd later come to regret: you complimented her on her improvement in genjutsu. The look in her eyes, full of surprise, hope restored, and gratefulness, was directed at you and then you knew it had been a bad idea, because now she'd start to see that maybe you didn't hate her after all. But you couldn't bring yourself to regret it. She had had a smile on her face after that)

Her abilities, as they were, did not impress you, but you had a feeling that for what she lacked in physical power she made up elsewhere. She was strong in spirit and in mind; stronger, in that regard, than you. The strength (that she did not fully realize she possessed) she had to love and laugh and live and forgive was dazzling. You admired her for that, for her ability to be kind: something you did not have, and hoped she would never lose.

When you tried leaving the village that one night, she was there. You were only mildly surprised: hadn't you learned by now that she always seemed to know these things? Once again, here she was, trying her hardest to succeed in a situation that was for her (and yourself), utterly hopeless. You once again were reminded of how determined, how strong she was. She had told you she loved you, that she'd leave her life behind to be with you. You were frightened, because what had you done to deserve her love? Surely she had been fooling herself, she could not love you.

You knew then that you had been misleading her. You were not cold enough, distant enough, and led her to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could get close to you, understand you (if that happened she would be tainted by you, and her strength to love to die out, because when it comes to caring you feel that you are weak, and you don't want her to take after you). Of course you can't let that happen. So you leave her with a word of thanks, you knock her unconscious so she cannot follow you, and you hope she will forget. She will learn, you tell yourself, and become strong without you.

She was weak, but you weren't stupid or ignorant enough to think she'd stay that way. She, after all, had great potential.

Years later, when you overhear your new "master" and his accomplice talking of his old teammate, the current Hokage, and her new, pink-haired apprentice, you are not surprised and almost, almost feel like smiling (though it's been years since you've last moved your mouth in such a position). She's gotten strong, you know now, with a sense of pride.

Soon, when you see first see her again, she runs out and grabs your replacement by his throat, demanding answers from him. You marvel at her heightened confidence (and violence) and, though you don't show it, you are glad that's she's grown up without you (or so you tell yourself). She's gotten strong, and you think, and then you know for sure when she tries to hit you. You see the chakra in her fist, and notice that she's finally found a way to use that perfect control of hers (though you have not yet seen what she does with that chakra in her fist or that she not only attacks, but heals). You are proud of her, your teammate, for becoming so strong. Yes, you are proud of your kuinoichi (did you not see that way she still looks at you?). Then you want to hit yourself because, really, she is not yours, and if you can have your way, she'll never be yours (again, that's what you tell yourself).

Yes, you knew she had potential.

Thanks for reading! Reviewers are amazing :)

And as a side note...I've realized that I can only pull off oneshots...I'm really bad at it when it comes to a full story. I was thinking of doing a series of oneshots, maybe adding to this one or adding a new story...well, who knows. But as far as my one story I've started, I plan on finishing it, because I don't want to just leave it hanging...so I'll continue it eventually...though it kinda sucks...yeah, lol, whatever, it's all good.