Sakura Haruno

Origin

Sakura as a child

Sakura was born and raised in the Village Hidden in the Leaves in the Land of Fire. Her parents are shopkeepers, but she entered the Ninja Academy to train to be a ninja of the village. At the academy, she was ruthlessly teased by the other girls in her class for the size of her forehead. This drove her to try and cover her forehead with her hair but this only made her insecurities easier to target by the bullies in the class. The person who came to her rescue was Ino Yamanaka. Ino defended Sakura and told her to embrace her large forehead. She took a bow and pulled Sakura's hair up and out of her eyes. The two became close friends and Sakura came out of her shell to be more confident and assertive.

Sakura with Ino at the lesson of Ikebana.

This friendship began to fracture when one day Sakura told Ino that the boy she was interested in was Sasuke Uchiha. Not only was he the star of the class but also the boy Ino liked. In a short period of time, they went from friends to bitter rivals. Each even grew their hair out just on a rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. Ino mocked Sakura for her forehead, and she would call Ino a pig (inoko). They were now in constant competition with each other over a boy who hardly noticed either of them. Upon learning of her assignment to Team 7, Sakura returned the ribbon Ino gave her replacing it with her forehead protector.

Creation

Naruto Vol. 1 JPN (Mar 2000)

Sakura Haruno is a lead character of the Naruto series that was created by Masashi Kishimoto. It first began serialization Weekly Shonen Jump in November 1999. She was first introduced during the first story arc, when Naruto was assigned to a team. Despite Sakura's popularity, she was not intended to be the heroine of the series. Kishimoto blames himself for this by describing himself as being unable to draw a good heroine character type. The best he came up with for Sakura is a girl who couldn't understand men, who is an irritating character but always well intentioned. Still, he became quite fond of Sakura and feels much of her personality can be found in just about everyone. This is possibly one explanation as to why she is so easy to relate with for most readers. In an interview with Kishimoto for Weekly Shonen Jump of June 2006, he said that she was the closest to being a normal person and would make the best ninja instructor of the Team 7 members. He also blamed his own lack of experience for not being able to draw her as looking "cute". Even his staff agreed she was "far from cute". He does imply that he felt she became cuter as the series went on and his skills improved. Her most prominent feature is her large forehead. He would occasionally overcompensate and draw it too large. In a 2010 interview, he said that he felt Hinata Hyuga would be a better fit as the heroine of the series, but would strive to give Sakura more heroic scenes in the future.

" This was how I first imagined Sakura. Let's face it...she's really not that cute, is she? Especially back then! But that was mostly because I'm not that good with female characters in general, so making one of them cute is always a big challenge for me. "

" There's a lot more to being a good manga character than just cuteness, you know... At least, that's my excuse. The trouble makers and the curmudgeons I can draw without breaking a sweat....but girls are really hard. "
Masashi Kishimoto - "Naruto" Volume 3 Early Character Designs - Sakura

Sakura Haruno early design sketches

While designing Sakura, Kishimoto first concentrated on her silhouette and wanted her costume to be as simple as possible. This wasn't the case for the other male leads who were given more complicated designs. So much so that he was concerned about being able to draw the series every week. Shorts were added to her Chinese style of dress to give her a feel of being more active. The first design had them as long as past her knees but were brought up higher to mid-thigh. These became tighter and shorter as the series progressed. For her redesign after the two year time skip, Kishimoto wanted to give her a costume that reflected a more karate background that kept a Chinese design to keep a feminine feel. This is seen in her top. She first appeared in Naruto Volume 1, CH. 3 "Enter Sasuke!", and her first anime appearance was in Naruto - Episode 1 "He Appears! Naruto Uzumaki". Her character in the Japanese series is voiced by Chie Nakamura, and the U.S. dub produced by VIZ Media is done by Kate Higgins.

Sakura was given pink hair to create a unique look for the series and relation to cherry blossoms, for which she is named. Her family name of Haruno (春野) means "spring field", and her given name of Sakura サクラ comes from the Japanese cherry blossom (桜, sakura), the national flower of Japan. When put together, her full name Haruno Sakura can mean "spring field of cherry blossoms". The sash of her forehead protector, boots, and shorts were nearly always color teal. She is also colored with painted nails and pink eyeshadow. For the anime, her accessories are all painted as a standard blue and is never shown to wear any cosmetics. The second season Naruto Shippuden anime accurately follows the color scheme used in the manga. Sakura has had various places in the fan polls for the Naruto cast. In the first poll she ranked 5th, the second she fell to 14th, the third she reached 9th, the fourth she ranked 10th, in the fifth she ranked 8th, in the sixth she ranked 12, seventh she ranked 6th with 9,701 votes, and in the eighth poll she tied for 12th with Sai. Sakura is the only member of Team 7 whose parents have never been shown, her mother has been heard talking but is never seen.

Character Evolution

" I've always considered myself to be a true ninja... but those were just empty words, because Sasuke and Naruto were always in the lead! But now it's my turn to take the lead, and all of you can watch me from the background! "
Sakura Haruno "Naruto"

Sakura with long hair

Sakura has had some of the most dramatic growth of the series. Her infatuation with Sasuke was the reason her childhood friendship with Ino Yamanaka fell apart. They both grew their hair out long because they had heard a rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. She tried to play the sweet and innocent young girl, but often times her inner thoughts are exposed in the series through what is called the "Inner Sakura". It shows that she's far more aggressive than the face she shows to the public and enjoys immature activities, such as pranks. Though, she was open in her hatred for Naruto. She always felt that she was being left behind in her squad since Sasuke was already so skilled and Naruto was showing constant improvement. Her overindulgence in superficial issues, such as her hair care, nearly got her and her team killed during the Chunin Exams.

Sakura with short hair

Tired of always being the victim in need of being saved, she used her own kunai to slice her long hair to free herself and defend her friends. She battled Ino for the second potion of the Chunin Exams, eventhough they both lost, their battle helped them work out their issues and mend their broken friendship. After the invasion of the Hidden Leaf Village, Sakura was surprised to learn that it was Naruto and not Sasuke who saved her from Gaara. Her opinion of Naruto slowly began to rise, but Sasuke began to move further away emotionally. She tried to stop Naruto from fighting and jumped into the middle of it. She may have been killed if not for Kakashi Hatake ending the fight.

Inner Sakura

Later that night, she ran into Sasuke who was leaving the village to go to Orochimaru. At first she tried to get him to stay but when that failed she pleaded with him to take her along. She confessed her love, but he still ignored her. When she threatened to scream, he moved behind her, thanked her, then knocked her unconscious. Shikamaru refused to allow Sakura to join the retrieval team, and in tears she begged Naruto to bring Sasuke back. This mission failed and Naruto was nearly killed. When Naruto left to go train with Jiraiya, Sakura turned to the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, to be trained by her so she could help Naruto on his return. Next time, she could help bring Sasuke back.

Affiliation: Hidden Leaf Village

Rank: Chunin

Registered Ninja #: 012601

Date Of Birth: March 28th

Age: 16

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Height: 161cm

Weight: 45.4kg

Blood Type: O

Completed Assignments:

• D-Rank 12 / C-Rank 9 / B-Rank 6 / A-Rank 7 / S-Rank 0

Sakura Haruno after time skip

After a two year time skip in the manga series, Sakura is now at the age of 15 or 16 years old and reached the rank of Chunin. She was trained in all the skills and techniques of Tsunade and even has the same level of monstrous strength. No longer would she be playing the support role and was now a force to be feared in hand-to-hand combat. When Naruto returned, their first mission together was to save Gaara from the Akatsuki.

Sakura in ordinary clothes

She cured Gaara's brother Kankuro from the effects of an unknown poison, and defeated Sasori of the Akatsuki with the assistance of Chiyo. They eventually found Sasuke and she got her first look at the powers of the Nine-tailed Fox sealed within Naruto. After Sasuke escaped with Orochimaru, Sakura spent most of her time back at the Leaf Village after they returned. She was shocked to later learn that Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki and was classified as a Rouge Ninja.

Sakura's appearance during the Fourth Shinobi World War

Sasuke's Team 7 replacement, Sai, would question her about what she was doing to Naruto with the promise he made to her to get Sasuke back. With this in mind, she made a resolution that she shared with the rest of her friends. First she met with Naruto and confessed to him that she was in love with him and had given up on Sasuke. When this failed to get Naruto to return, she left in search of Sasuke so she could kill him herself. He got the best of her and was ready to kill her, but she was saved at the last moment by Kakashi, who was told what she was attempting. Sasuke told them both he intended to return to the Leaf Village to kill everyone. Sakura took part in the Fourth Great Shinobi War that broke out on the side of the Ninja Alliance against the Akatsuki. It is unknown if Sakura's confession of love was her honest feelings or just a ploy to get Naruto to stop chasing after Sasuke for her.

Major Story Arcs

Introduction Arc

The official group photo of Team 7

Before graduating, Sakura and the rest of the students were given the task of forming a chakra clone of themselves, which Sakura passed. She was now a Genin (lowest ninja rank) and would soon learn who her two teammates are. The next day, on her way to school she ran into Ino. Sakura and Ino both wanted to be on Sasuke’s team, but only Sakura would be lucky enough. However, her other teammate was Naruto, who had a crush on Sakura. Sakura was now a part of Team 7, with Naruto and Sasuke, and their leader was Kakashi.

The team learned of a pass or fail survival test that Kakashi was going to administer. The next day, they arrived at the training location with their ninja gear ready to go. However, Kakashi deliberately arrived hours late, and told them that he “crossed a black cat and had to take a detour." Kakashi shows them two bells and tells them that both only two, one, or none of them are going to pass, and the failure will return to the academy.

When the test begins, Sakura showed more interest in following Sasuke around and ignored Naruto. After this, Sakura was lectured by Kakashi for not helping Naruto, and she finally realized how serious this test was. Kakashi then tied Naruto up and gave Sakura and Sasuke food to eat. He warned them that if they allow Naruto to eat, they will fail immediately. Sasuke and Sakura defied Kakashi’s words and fed Naruto anyway. Kakashi showed up extremely angry and demands an explanation; Sakura told Kakashi that they fed him because he was their teammate. Kakashi then revealed that they are the first team to pass this test, and now the team is ready for missions.

Land of the Waves Arc

Sakura and her team-mates protecting Tazuna

Team 7 is assigned to protect a bridge builder named Tazuna. Their mission becomes a Class A ranked mission when they discover that a high ranked ninja was after him. Sakura suggests that they abandon the mission because it is ranked A and Naruto’s hand is injured, but they decide to proceed with the mission anyways. Team 7 runs into a Hidden Mist village ninja named Zabuza. They discover that he is extremely powerful and they prepare before the confrontation. Sakura would eventually head to the battlefield herself, where she discovers that she has amazing control over her own chakra. When Sasuke appeared to have died in the battle, Sakura violates Shinobi Rule #25, which states that a shinobi may never display any kind of emotion in the battlefield, by crying when Sasuke “died.”

Chunin Exams Arc

Upon returning to Konoha, Team 7 arrive just in time to register and take the Chunin Exams. The exams are used to promote Genin from all hidden villages to Chunin rankings. The first part of the exam is written, which is good for Sakura. The second part of the Chunin Exams was a survival test. Each team was given a scroll to protect, and the team must steal more scrolls and take it to the middle of the arena. Team 7 is first attacked by Orochimaru, whom Naruto and Sasuke were able to fend off. However, both of them were rendered unconscious during the fight and Sakura was left to care for them until they recovered. Unfortunately, Genin from the Sound village were ordered by Orochimaru to finish off Team 7.

Sakura frees herself from Kin's grasp by cutting her hair.

Sakura tries her best to protect her unconscious teammates. Rock Lee arrived to protect Sakura, but was defeated by the Sound Genin. One of the Sound Genin named Kin Tsuchi (female Genin) grabs Sakura’s hair and taunts her for her weakness, claiming that she would rather look pretty instead of training her ninja skills. Sakura in turn, cuts off her own hair and matures during the process. Sakura continued to try and defend her team, until Ino and her team realized that Sakura was in trouble.

Sakura prepares to attack Zaku.

An unconscious Sasuke re-awakened during the fight after receiving Orochimaru's cursed seal, and proceeded to ask Sakura who injured her. Quickly overcome by his new cursed mark, he begins a violent rampage on the Sound Genin. Frightened by his new behaviour, a tearful Sakura rushes to his side and wraps her arms around him, begging him to stop. Her tearful words and embrace get through to him, and his cursed seal quickly recedes. Team 7 would be allowed to rest while Ino and her team watch their backs. When they fully recover, the team heads toward the middle and meets a fellow Konoha Genin named Kabuto. The four help each other to reach the middle of the arena and are successful.

Sakura fighting Ino during her preliminary match

Reaching the middle allows them to proceed in the exam. The next part of the exam were one-on-one preliminary battles. Sakura was forced to battle Ino first, but the two accepted their fate. Sakura and Ino go down to the battle area and insult each other face to face. Ino cuts her hair claiming to follow what Sakura did earlier, however Ino had placed her own chakra in the cut hair. When Sakura came near the hair spread upon the floor, Ino was able to use her chakra to ensnare Sakura in place. With Sakura trapped, Ino was able to use her Mind Body Swap technique easily. Ino appeared to be the victor as she was going to force Sakura to forfeit. However, Sakura was strong enough to resist Ino’s technique and force Ino out her of own body. The two of them were both exhausted, and would charge each other for the final blow. Sakura and Ino both strike the other's face simultaneously, resulting in a double knockout. The final decision of the match was declared a draw, and both were disqualified from the exams. When Sakura and Ino recovered, they reconciled their friendship.

Invasion of Konoha Arc

Sakura faces Gaara

The third part of the Chunin Exams was a tournament for those that passed the second part of the exams. Naruto and Sasuke both advanced to this round, and Sakura, who was disqualified, watched the rest of the exam. However, the Chunin Exams would be interrupted by an invasion of Konoha shortly after Sasuke’s fight with Gaara began. Many of the ninjas were forced into sleep by a genjutsu, Sakura was one of the few qualified Genin to repel the genjutsu, as she was trained in its use. Kakashi then assigned Sakura to wake Naruto and go after Sasuke. When the two of them catch up to Sasuke, they discover him fighting Gaara in a monster form. Upon catching up with Sasuke, Sakura protects him from Gaara's attacks, though Gaara uses his sand to immobilize her. As the sand slowly suffocates Sakura, Naruto fights to defeat Gaara, determined to save her life.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

Sasuke's goodbye to Sakura

Just as Sasuke was recovering from his injuries, he became more violent and aggressive toward everyone. Sakura tried to stop Naruto and Sasuke as they were fighting at the top of the hospital, and she nearly got caught in the middle of their most powerful attacks. She was saved the Kakashi appearing to deflect the boys and flinging them away. Kakashi promised her that everything would be fine soon. This didn't turn out to be true, because Sakura caught Sasuke leaving the village to go to Orochimaru. At first she begged him to take her with him. After she threatened to scream, Sasuke appeared behind her, thanked her, then knocked her out. She reported his actions, and Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, and Choji were sent after him.

Sakura training under Tsunade's tutelage

Before they left, she begged Naruto to bring him back, and he confidently promised he would. When Naruto set out the next day to retrieve Sasuke, Sakura came out to meet him. Sakura begged for Naruto to bring Sasuke back, believing Naruto to be the only person who could get through to Sasuke. Naruto, looking at the crying Sakura, promised her that he would bring Sasuke back, making it his promise to her for a lifetime. This brought more tears as Sakura realised that Naruto knew how she felt and that he had always been there for her.After Naruto failed to bring Sasuke back and was left hospitalised in the process, he apologised to Sakura for his failure and asserted that he would definitely keep his promise. Inspired by Naruto's determination, she replied that, next time, they would retrieve Sasuke together, and that she would be there to help him from now on. Determined to never be useless again and to save Sasuke and help Naruto, Sakura then asked to become Tsunade's apprentice, a request which Tsunade happily accepted.

Kazekage Rescue Arc

Sakura shows her growth to Kakashi

Two years have gone by. Naruto has returned to the Leaf Village from his training with Jiraiya, and Sakura has become an excellent ninja under Tsunade’s training. When Naruto returned, Tsunade gave the two of them the mission of taking on Kakashi to show off the results of their training. He gave them the bell test once more, and the pair gave him much more of a challenge. They eventually got the bells by outwitting Kakashi. Just as their training ended, they received an emergency notice from the Sand Village that the Akatsuki had attacked and taken Gaara, the Kazekage. Team seven was given the mission to retrieve him, and they caught up with his sister Temari, who had just left the Leaf Village.

Sakura uses the Poison Extraction Jutsu to save Kakuro

When they arrived at the Sand Village, they found Gaara's brother Kankuro had been poisoned with a special venom from Sasori, an Akatsuki member. She used the justu she had learned from Tsunade to save his life and develop an antidote. Team 7 was joined by Sand Village elder, Chiyo, in the search for Gaara. During the journey to the Land of Rivers, Sakura finally learned that Naruto was a Jinchuriki, a human with the Tailed Beasts sealed inside of them. Their pursuit was held back by who they thought was Itachi Uchiha, but revealed to be corpse puppets once defeated. Chiyo then explained that If the beasts are ever removed the host will die. Sakura finally understood the threat Naruto had been living under his whole life.

Sakura and Chiyo fighting together

They reached the base of the Akatsuki and were joined by Team 9. The teams separated to break the seal, but once inside they fond Gaara to be dead. Naruto lost his temper and chased after Deidara. Kakashi followed, and Chiyo and Sakura fought with Sasori. After destroying his first puppet form, his more human puppet body was revealed. Unable to match Sasori's skills solo, Sakura allowed Chiyo to use her Puppet Master Jutsu to control her body. They had both used Sakura's antidote so Sasori's poisons would but useless for a short time.

Sakura destroying Sasori's puppet body

Sakura was injured after the antidote had worn off. Though Sasori had been defeated, Chiyo used a jutsu that sacraficed some of her own life to heal Sakura. As a prize for winning, Sasori revealed he had a spy in Orochimaru's camp he was scheduled to meet. Chiyo and Sakura caught up to Naruto after he got back Gaara's body. Chiyo then used her forbidden jutsu once more with the help of Naruto's chakra to revive Gaara. Sakura withheld from Naruto that this would sacrifice Chiyo's life. After resting at the Sand Village, they all returned home with a source of how to find Sasuke.

Sasuke and Sai Arc

Yamato-led Team Kakashi reveals themselves to Orochimaru and Kabuto

Kakashi had been badly wounded during the mission and was forced to be hospitalized after they returned to the Leaf Village. Naruto and Sakura would gain a new leader and teammate for their next missions. Yamato was assigned as the team leader and Sai was assigned as their third teammate. The team is briefed about their next mission, they were to meet the “spy” in Orochimaru’s group. The new team sets out and discovers that the spy was waiting for the dead Sasori. However, it turns out to be a trap and the group battles Kabuto and Orochimaru. Naruto is left badly injured, but Sakura was able to heal his wounds. They then proceeded to Orochimaru’s hideout, and began infiltrating his lair. Going to room after room looking for Sasuke, they eventually confront Sasuke outside of the lair.

Sakura healing Naruto after Yamato subdued him

They try to convince Sasuke to return to Konoha, but he declines once again and begins attacking them. Sakura tries to stop Sasuke, even attacking him. However, Sasuke was able to escape. The team returns to Konoha after the failed mission, Naruto and Sakura were deeply depressed that they once again could not recover Sasuke.

Twelve Ninja Guardian Arc (Anime-only)

Sakura angered when she see Fūka kissed Naruto

Team Kakashi has assigned by Tsunade to go to Fire Temple in order to investigate the Grave Robbers, one of them is being the former member of the Fire Temple. Team Kakashi met up with a new teammate, Sora, a boy who has the same power as Naruto. When Sakura and the others are trying to apprehend the grave robbers, they were drawn the the trap that Fuen made.

Sakura furiously trying to save Naruto

Sakura was fall down with Sora and separated from the rest of the team. Although later Sora goes off alone and leave Sakura behind. When Sakura trying to find the rest of the team, she was attacked by a giant poisonous spider, but saved by Sai. Sakura then treat Sai's injuries and together they quickly went to look for Naruto while his chakra is being absorbed by Fūka (although Sakura thought Naruto was making out with her).

Sakura brutally kill Fuen

During the attack on Konoha, Sakura is in charge in medical treatment to treat injured Shinobis. She was later told to aid Asuma, who's being injured after the attack and told by him to stop one of the four who got away. Sakura has intercepted by Fuen and trapped by her Genjutsu. Sakura was trapped in a maze of poisonous butterflies and fell down. When Fuen tries to stab Sakura, it was actually her shadow clone and Sakura then brutally counter Fuen from behind. When Fuen is down on the ground, she release a strong Taijustu and kill Fuen brutally. Later then, Sakura went to Naruto and finds him struggling with Sora. As she is trying to heal Naruto, Sora released a powerful beam to them, although Sakura was saved by Naruto. After Sora overcame the Nine-Tails Chakra, Sakura tend to heal his injuries.

Itachi Pursuit Arc

Teams 7 and 8 set out to pursue Itachi

When news reached Konoha that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru, Sakura and Naruto were the first to join Kakashi's Eight Man Squad, and began the hunt. During her search, she barely missed a member of Sasuke's Hebi, Karin, and later regrouped with the others. When Kiba caught Sasuke's scent, the group followed until they encountered Tobi. Sakura initially suspected that he was using genjutsu or clone techniques, but after Hinata pointed out that his chakra remained in one location and Tobi managed to escape Shino's bugs, she realised that he was removing parts of his body from existence. She attempted to head to Sasuke's location with her team, but Tobi had already taken him away.

Invasion of Pain Arc

After word is sent to Tsunade via Jiraiya's toad that Jiraiya is dead and was killed by beings who called themselves Pain, Sakura is seen scolding Naruto for lashing out at Tsunade after she has informed him of Jiraiya's death. Sakura is then seen helping deciphering Jiraiya's coded message but little to no help with that. When Pain attacks Sakura is seen helping and healing villagers seen also saves a villager from one of Pains giant (but not biggest) summonings. After Pain destroyed most of Konoha Sakura is seen alive protected by Katsuyu who Tsunade had summoned earlier to protect villagers. Sakura then comes in contact with a member of the Hyuga clan who is able to watch and inform Sakura of the battle between Pain and Naruto (who has returned from his training). Sakura is informed by the Hyuga clan member HInata was hurt defending Naruto and that Naruto had transformed and was becoming the Nine-Tails.

Sakura thanks Naruto

When the Hyuga clan member says that Pain and Naruto were moving away from Konoha Sakura goes to help Hinata who is next seen with her cousin and the rest of Team Guy slowly dying. Sakura is then seen healing Hinata and informing Neji that Hinata tried to save Naruto because she loved him. When Sakura heals Hinata she is thanked by her and Sakura told her she shouldn't have done that. Sakura is next seen when Fukasaku is revived due to Nagato believing in Naruto's dream she is next seen with all of Konoha greeting Naruto however she greets him with a punch and then a heart warming hug and thanks him.

Five Kage Summit Arc

Team Kakashi confronted by Karui and Omoi

Sakura is later seen in a tent along with Naruto, Kakashi, and Shizune, telling them about Tsunade going into a coma, and that neither she nor Shizune could do anything for her. She tried to cheer Naruto up, but her effort was interrupted by the arrival of Kiba. Kiba told them that Danzo, has replaced Tsunade as Hokage and that he has ordered Sasuke to be executed as a missing-nin. Naruto and Sakura, hoping they might be able to convince Danzō to change his mind, asked Sai about him. Sai is unable to tell them anything, but their questioning attracted the attention of Omoi and Karui. The Kumogakure ninja informed them of Sasuke's crimes and demanded any information they may have on Sasuke. Seeing how upset this made Sakura, Naruto volunteered to tell them for her the information they wanted to know about Sasuke.

Sakura forms a team to hunt down Sasuke

Naruto, along with Kakashi and Yamato, went to the Land of Iron to ask the Fourth Raikage to forgive Sasuke. While they are gone, Sai informed Sakura of the lengths Naruto has gone to make her happy. He also said that although Naruto loved her, the strain of trying to bring Sasuke home and fulfilling the promise he made to her, cause him nothing but constant pain. Shikamaru joined the conversation on behalf of the other members of the Konoha 11, telling Sakura that Sasuke's actions will only lead to war. Believing that the best course of action would be for them to personally stop Sasuke, Shikamaru asked for Team 7's consent. Sakura agreed, but insisted that she be the one to tell Naruto.

Sakura, Sai, Kiba, and Lee went to the Land of Iron to talk to Naruto. After they located him, Sakura made a false confession of love to Naruto and claimed she no longer cares about Sasuke and encouraged him to give up on the promise he made to her. Naruto, knowing very well that she's still in love with Sasuke and that she doesn't love him, does not believe her and says she is lying to herself. Angered by this, she insisted it was true and then pushed for Naruto to forget his promise to her and focus on the fact that Akatsuki is after him. Naruto, in turn, said that he was also pursuing Sasuke for his own reasons, not just because of his promise to her. Again, furious by this, Sakura left with her group. Ignoring Kiba's questions about why she hasn't told Naruto their plans, she asked him to help her find Sasuke. When they start nearing Sasuke, Sakura tried to set off a knockout gas to incapacitate Kiba, Sai, and Lee. Sai stopped her and, having told Naruto and Kakashi about their plans, instructed them to wait for Kakashi to arrive. She convinced Kiba and Lee to fight Sai with her, but used the knockout gas on them as they began to scuffle.

Sasuke attacking Sakura from behind

Sakura found Sasuke about to kill Karin. She stopped him and told him that she wanted to join him, even if that means betraying Konoha. Suspicious, Sasuke told her to show her resolve by killing Karin. Pretending to agree, Sakura approached them, thinking that if she killed him now, it will all be over. Karin interrupted her by warning her that Sasuke was about to kill her, but his attack was blocked by Kakashi. Kakashi instructed Sakura to heal Karin and to leave once she had done so. However she snuck up on Sasuke and tried once again to kill him, but she then started to remember all the times they had together and she was ultimately unable to bring herself to do it.

Sasuke noticed Sakura and seized her by the throat and attempted to kill her, she was then rescued by Naruto. Naruto then prepared himself to attack Sasuke after Kakashi tells him and Sakura that he will personally take care of Sasuke and wishes for them not to witness it. Kakashi states that Sakura's kunai was crafted by Sakura herself, with poison learned from Shizune, and that it would most likely not work as Orochimaru would have made him immune to it. After Naruto voiced his determination that he and Sasuke will die together one day in battle, and that he would shoulder Sasuke's hatred as a friend, Sakura was touched by Naruto's determination, and showed her gladness that he showed her a way for Team 7 to still have a happy ending.

Team 7 re-unites

However, Naruto suddenly collapsed from the poison kunai that Sasuke used to nick Naruto's face when he saved Sakura from him, and Sakura panicked, and gave him an antidote on Kakashi's request. After Sakura gave Naruto the antidote, Naruto says he still feels sick. When Naruto asks who Karin is, Sakura replies that she's a partner of Sasuke, which Karin denies. When the group are ready to leave the bridge, Kakashi reminds Sakura that she left something behind to which he is refering to Kiba and the others. Team 7 and Karin are later seen with the sleeping Kiba, Akamaru, Lee and Sai and Kakashi expects Sakura to apologise to them after they awake to which she will.

The "Konoha 11" meet to discuss Sasuke

After returning to Konoha, Sakura is seen present with the rest of her friends, wondering as to what Naruto is hiding from them, remembering his statement about his and Sasuke's death in a possible fight. She is then seen out of breath when she meets up with Naruto at the Ramen Ichiraku, and she is happy to inform him that Tsunade is awake. Teuchi then offers her a bowl but, being in a rush to tell people the good news, she turns it down. She then tells Naruto she will see him later.

Shinobi World War Arc

Sakura is placed within the Third Division and is later seen using her Mystical Palm Technique to heal Might Guy and wondering how he got to be in this condition right before the war, while a worried Lee looks on. Later on, Sakura is seen with her division as a red flare goes off and Kakashi orders them to go the Surprise Attack Division. Along with her division, they encountered Zabuza and Haku who were about to attack the Surprise Attack Division. She was shocked to see Zabuza and Haku again. After Haku and Zabuza's personalities were wiped out along with those of Pakura and Gari, Kakashi orders his squadrons to group themselves around the sensor ninja in the Manji Formation. Lee then tells Sakura that he'll protect her no matter what, to which Sakura tells him to also be careful as last time Zabuza attacked from the only weak spot of the formation: the centre. When the battle began in earnest, Sakura began healing the wounded. As the battle came to a halt when night fell, Sakura went to the Logistical Support and Medical Division compound to heal all the wounded that were being moved to a central location.

Sakura healing Guy before the start of the war

She attends to an unknown ninja's wound before Neji arrives. After she finishes she tells him that he should take the opportunity to get as much rest as possible. She is later seen outside one of the barracks after being alerted that three jōnin level medics were killed by an unknown assailant. When they surmise that a spy must've entered their numbers despite their stringent security measures, she dismisses the Transformation Technique as their method as the sensors would've detected them and assumes that one of their own must be under the enemy's control. Later as she prepares to start her rounds again, she is approached by the ninja she had healed earlier who hands her a love letter saying that he didn't know if he'll survive the war or not. She takes the letter and thanks him, but tells him that she loves someone else.

Sakura defeating "Neji"

After one last compliment, the Iwa shinobi leaves the tent visibly disappointed that Sakura was in love with someone else, Sakura soon afterwards becomes saddened as she starts thinking about Sasuke. Moments later, Neji then enters her tent asking her if she was ok. He then tells her that he doesn't blame her for being upset given the current situation. Sakura says that they need to be vigilant to which Neji agrees. He then asks for Shizune as he had made some headway in uncovering who the culprit was. Sakura tells him that she's attending to Tonton who had sprained her leg. Neji then says it's better than her arm to which Sakura agrees that she would still be able to form seals. He then asks her to take a look at his hand again to which she agrees, telling him to sit down. As he draws for a kunai to kill Sakura, she slams him to the ground. Surprised he inquires how she knew and retorts that piglets don't have hands. After being punched the transformation technique wears off and the White Zetsu clone resumes him original appearance. Sakura then interrogates the Zetsu about how he was able to get onto the compound undetected. Together with this information and a report Yamato had compiled on Zetsu, she pieces together the Zetsu's abilities and then leaves the clone in the hands of two shinobi to inform headquarters of this latest information.

Sakura and Shizune autopsying White Zetsu Army clone

After reporting the findings to Shizune, they then perform an autopsy on the body of the clone and realises the similarity in their DNA to that of Yamato and by extension, Hashirama's. They then begin to piece together the truth behind the White Zetsu Army clones. The next day, they are approached by a pair of ninja, one of whom appears to be gravely injured and the other desperately requesting her assistance. The Akimichi guarding the medics is adamant that they stay back, uncertain of who's who. Sakura, unable to turn them away after hearing the kunoichi beg them not to let her husband die in her arms, agrees to help. The pair then reveal themselves as imposters and attack. Before she can be attacked however, Naruto's shadow clone promptly takes them down, much to the surprise of Sakura and Shizune. After being informed by Inoichi from HQ that Naruto and B were fighting the "masked Madara", Sakura and the rest of the Konoha 11 rush to his aid. As she runs, she thinks to herself that Naruto always got left with insurmountable tasks but this time would be different as not only her, but everyone would be there fighting alongside each other this time.

Ten-Tails Revival Arc

Sakura, along with the Allied Shinobi Force, arrive to help Naruto

Upon arriving at the battlefield, she immediately began to tend to the wounded Kakashi and Might Guy. She later stood with the remaining members of the Allied Shinobi Forces as they prepared to face their opposition. Positioning herself behind Darui to lend support when necessary, Sakura was buffeted by the Ten-Tails as it emerged from the hole in had been trapped in. Narrowly dodging the wooden stakes being fired by the Ten-Tails, Sakura later watched on in horror as Neji sacrificed his life to protect Hinata and Naruto. Sakura was later seen on the battlefield with Naruto and the others and has received chakra from Naruto, Sakura was then attacked by Obito ejecting multiple weapons at her and two others they where procted by the Kurama chakra tail.

Sakura healing Naruto and rallying the troops to fight.

After having survived the Tenpenchii attack, Sakura and the others rallied around a wounded and exhausted Naruto where behind a defensive line, Sakura healed his injuries. As the Ten-Tails grew impatient with the situation, it proceeded to open its maw and prepared to fire an even larger Tailed Beast Ball. With the shinobi losing hope, Sakura rallied the troops with a rousing speech in which she declared that she would do her all to heal Naruto completely, and that no matter what they should not give up fighting, because if they were to die any way, it would be better not to simply give up. When the Ten-Tails created an enormous Tailed Beast Ball which it fired at the Alliance, she watched on as Shikamaru initiated his strategy, having the Alliance create multiple defences and a transformed Killer B tried to deflect the attack to no avail. When the Tailed Beast Ball disappeared, Sakura looked on in shock as the Fourth Hokage appeared before them, asking his son, if he were late.

Powers & Abilities

Sakura's Chakra Enhanced Strength: Cherry Blossom Clash

Sakura Haruno is a talented ninja who originally began her career with considerable textbook knowledge of Ninjutsu and an intelligent analytical mind. She always felt left behind by the incredible progress of her teammates Sasuke and Naruto.

Sakura using the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique

She eventually became fed up with feeling useless. After Naruto left to train under Jiraiya for two years, Sakura went to the Fifth Hokage, Tsuande, to ask for training in medical ninjutsu. She was accepted as her new pupil and was taught Tsunade's fighting techniques that greatly enhances the user's physical strength in hand-to-hand combat. She studied hard in those two years and was able to reach the rank of a Chunin class ninja.

Sakura's Jutsu

• Transformation Jutsu: The Transformation Jutsu (変化の術, henge no jutsu) is a basic ninjutsu taught to in the Ninja Academy. It transforms the user into the appearance of another person and they can even speak as they do. This is a valuable skill for infiltration and deception. This is not a technique Sakura has frequently used.
• Substitution Jutsu: The Substitution Jutsu (変わり身の術, kawarimi no jutsu) is basic fighting technique taught to ninja of the Hidden Leaf after graduation from the Academy. It's designed to have the user replace their body in an instant with an object from the surroundings just before an attack can hit. Sakura is immense proficiency with this jutsu and used it to great effect during the Chunin Exams.
• Genjutsu release: The Genjutsu Release (幻術解, genjutsu kai) is a technique that allows the user to break basic Genjutsu. This technique was taught to Sakura by Kakashi Hatake. Though, this will not work on several more powerful Genjutsus.
• Sakura Blizzard Jutsu (サクラ吹雪の術): This is a technique that Sakura throws a storm of kunais, that have exploding bags on them.

• Chakra Enchanced Strength: This is just from precise Chakra control. She could cause the ground to split, or even cause the a small landside. She could also punch a hole into a cliff, or make a cave sink in.
• Cherry Blossom Clash: The Cherry Blossom Clash (桜花衝, ōkashō) is a technique Sakura uses with her Chakra Enhanced Strength skills she learned from Tsunade. By focusing a large amount of chakra to her hand, she punches into the ground causing a massive shock wave. The destruction is dependent on the amount of chakra focused.
• Healing Jutsu: The Healing Jutsu (掌仙術, shōsen jutsu) is a medical-ninjustu technique where the user forces chakra to their hand to speed the natural healing to the target and it can use used on one's self. Sakura was taught this technique for Tsunade.
• Chakra Scalpel: The Chakra Scalpel (チャクラのメス, chakura no mesu) is a technique for a medical-ninja to focus chakra at their hands to create an extremely fine and long blade that can cut into the body of another person. It can be used for surgery or to cut muscle and nerves of an opponent.
  Another Medical Technique that she could use from direct training from Lady Tsunade a.k.a The Fifth Hokage. She can severe internal organs, if used in actual combat, or use this to heal injuries.
• Poison Extraction Jutsu:The Poison Extraction Jutsu (細患抽出の術, saikan chūshutsu no jutsu) allows the user to actually isolate and remove poisons from the blood. Using the Chakra Scalpel, an incision is made into the victim then chakra is used to force a large amount of medicinal fluid into the incision. This fluid serves to isolate poisons to then be drawn out of the body. In the process, the poison is removed and the damaged areas of the body are repaired. The extracted poison can now be isolated and analyzed to create an antidote. This is a highly advanced technique that was taught to Sakura by Tsunade. She has used it to save the Kankuro of the Sand Village after he was poisoned by Sasori.

Anime Only:

• Four-Corner Seal Barrier: The Four Corner Seal Barrier (結界四方封陣, kekkai shihō fūjin) is a jutsu created by Tsunade that is designed to seal the Bijuu spirits. It was preformed with Shizune, Sakura haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata Hyuga. The jutsu requires special scrolls and blood, similar to a summoning jutsu. Together they used this technique to seal the Three-Tailed Turtle.

Jutsu Stats

Ninja's are ranked by their proficiency with the various types of jutsu and other statistics. The score rates as a best out of five and are added up in a total score. (source: First, Second, and Third Third Naruto Databook)

Other Media

Anime

Subtle changes have been made to Sakura's hair from the manga version when Naruto was produced by Studio Pierrot. The length of her hair was drawn to be slightly longer before and after she cut it. The original manga coloring for Sakura gave her subtle make up and nail polish, but this never appeared in any of the anime episodes. A major continuity error occurs in Naruto Episode 103. At 19min 30sec in, Sakura uses incredibly strength to rip out the mast of the ship. This is a trick of Tsunade, but Sakura would not be trained by Tsunade until well after Sasuke left the village.

After Naruto Episode 135, a series of filler episode and arcs went into a constant run that would last until Naruto Episode 220. After this episode, the series was ended and a new series began titled Naruto Shippuden. It picked up where the canon left off at the start of the two year time skip. The first episode aired on February 15th 2007. In the seventh Naruto Shippūden opening, "Toumei Datta Sekai (透明だった世界)" performed by Motohira Hata, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata are shown fighting Konan of the Akatsuki in a non-canon battle.

Films

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004)

As a lead character, Sakura is one of the earliest appearing characters in the Naruto series, and she has appeared in every movie of the series. Her first movie appearance was in the movie, Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004). None of the events in this movie held any canon to the original manga story. In the third film, Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006), there is a similar continuity error that occurred in Naruto Episode 103. Sakura shows a remarkable amount of strength she would later learn from Tsunade, but the timeline of this film is designed to take place before her training.

• Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004)
• Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2005)
• Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006)
• Naruto Shippuden: The Movie (2007)
• Naruto Shippuden 2: Bonds (2008)
• Naruto OVA: the Cross Roads (2009)
• Naruto Shippuden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire (2009)
• Naruto Shippuden 4: The Lost Tower (2010)
• Naruto Shippuden 5: Blood Prison (2011)
• Naruto Shippuden Movie 6: Road to Ninja (2012)

Games

Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3

As a lead character of the Naruto series, Sakura has appeared in some form or another in Naruto franchise video games. Her first game appearance was in the fighter for the Nintendo GameCube Naruto: Clash of Ninja (2003). This game was eventually released in the U.S. in March 2006. Though she is a playable character, the Games Story mode only allowed players to use Naruto. She would go on to have numerous other appearances in the Clash of Ninja game series. In many of the games she was playable prior to time skip, her Inner Sakura was used as part of her fighting techniques.

(For a full list of games that feature Sakura Haruno, see her profile on Giant Bomb. HERE)