Naruto sat up, stifling a scream. Adrenalin pumped through his veins, as his senses sharpened. Heart racing, he took in his surroundings. The window, the walls, his poster. Sweat began to trickle down his body as he slowly regained control over his breathing. One thought echoed through his head. It worked. It shouldn't have. This was the stuff of bed time stories, more likely to be told by an old drunk past his prime. Yet here he was. It worked. He slowly worked his hands in to fists, feeling the way his body responded. It worked. It vibrated through his head like a mantra. It worked. He sat there for what felt like hours. Feeling over worked and energized, exhausted and exhilarated. Thinking back over everything that had happened, and what was yet to come. It wasn't until the night had faded and light started to seep through the window that he finally pulled himself together and climbed out of bed. One long shower and five cups of ramen later, he began to feel like himself again. A quick look at the clock, and checking the date to make sure, he ran out the window. It worked.
Naruto fidgeted in his seat, shifting his eyes from the windows, to the door, to the clock, and back again. It's hard, he mused, to sit here with so many people I used to know. To pretend like I don't have a care in the world. Just get through tonight. Face Mizuki and don't let Iruka get hurt. You can do this. Just one day, and everything will change. Believe it!
"Naruto! Give me one example!" Iruka's voice cut through his thoughts. He stared at the man with a blank face. An example? Of what's going to change? Iruka's face began to turn red as he began his 'Pay Attention, You Need To Know This' rant, version 83. Apparently not. He sighed as Iruka's rant echoed through the halls.
The disappointed look on Iruka's face was even harder to bear this time. As he jumped from tree to tree running from Mizuki all he could think about was the disappointment Iruka showed when he failed the test. Hearing Iruka and Mizuki argue, he altered his path to circle around behind the traitor. Never again. I will never have him look at me that way again. He grimaced before giving a grim smile. Konoha's Chunin had become lax in the past years. It gave him a great advantage here, but would later cause serious problems. We will fix that later. Right now, I just want to kick his face in! Thirty shadow clones, thirty kunai, sixty boots, and several screams later, Mizuki was a bloody pulp, and Naruto proudly wore a Kohona headband. All that's left is Ramen! Wait for me precious. I'm coming!
Naruto secured a seat next to Sasuke as Ino and Sakura squabbled in the back ground. A quick nod passed between the two. Soon. In the mean time, it was funny to watch two of the most sophisticated women he knew rolling around on the floor pulling each others hair. Hmmm... He looked over at Sasuke's pencil case. Wonder what would happen if I threw that to the wolves. Seconds later and it had disappeared from site. He pouted as he watched Iruka yell at the group of girls. 'This Is Not The Way Kunoichi Act' version 14. A classic. Nice choice.
Five hours, two erasers, and one irate twelve year old later, and Kakashi left. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as Sasuke turned to the fuming female. Finally. We can begin.
"If we are going to be on this team, we are going to give it out all. We are going to be better than the Sannin. That means Sakura, that you are going to have to train. Shed blood, sweat, and tears. If you are going to continue to care more for your looks than your team, I will ask to have you switched." Naruto laid an arm over her shoulder as she stared at Sasuke with wet eyes.
"What he is trying to say, Sakura, is that we want you on are team. With your chakra control and intelligence you can help us reach the top. We each have goals. I am going to be Hokage. Sasuke is going to restore the Uchiha Clan, and make it better than before. And when you decide what you are going to do, we are going to help you." She looked back and forth between the two boys, feeling like she was in a dream. But is it a dream, or a nightmare? Her inner voice asked.
"Here is a list of everything you need to be able to do to train with us." He handed it to her as Naruto assured her they would be there to help. "From now on," He looked like he was swallowing a lemon. "From now on, any female that wants to date me has to beat me in a fight." Sakura's eyes became wide. "If defeated, then they have to wait three months before she can try again." This is a nightmare! Wailed inner Sakura. We will never be that good!
"But," Naruto whispered in her ear. "If you train with us, we can bring you up to Sasuke's level, and you can challenge him when you know you can win." He met Sasuke's eyes. A quick nod, and another grimace. By this time next week, every female would know. Ino would be kindly defeated, and told that he expected her to be better when she tried again. Sakura was advidly reading the list. It was more than she could handle, but for a chance to date Sasuke, she would do it!
This is a dream! Please don't let me wake up! Sasuke! You do want me!
Things would be different this time.
Sakura finished up directing the clones into position. It was 0600 hours and looking back at her team, it seemed like the trap was set. All it had taken was Sasuke waking her up for her to agree to the plan. Surprisingly, she hadn't yelled at Naruto yet. He figured it was just shock, and she'd be back at it in a few days. It was nice for now though. She returned to Sasuke's side, scowling at the ramen in Naruto's hands, until Sasuke handed her one. From the blush and stary-eyed expression, Naruto figured he had avoided her shrieking yet again. A promising start to the day. With a nod from Sasuke, they started off towards the bridge. It was an unfair advantage, but they knew exactly where Kakashi was going to watch them from, and had rigged the area. The slow acting poison, a downer that was hard to come by, unless you were the Uchiha heir, would have any jounin lethargic for a few hours, Kakashi for at least an hour, which was more than enough time. The second trap, a ninja wire web that would be lifted from the ground, had to be set off manually, which is what Sakura had been setting up the clones for.
Now, it was just a waiting game. Naruto sat down, working on how many leaves he could keep spinning, while Sasuke drilled Sakura on her stance and speed. Four hours later, and one of Naruto's clones dispelled himself, letting him know the trap was successful. Huh. I figured we'd have to use plan B. Aww Man! That means no paint balloons! Unless... Sasuke cleaned out his Sensei's pockets as Sakura watched, altering between rooting for him, and scared they had really pissed off their teacher. Four books later, one for extra leverage, and Naruto finished painting his teacher. A nod from Sasuke had the heading toward a local barbeque grill. Let him come to us.
It was an irate Kakashi that gathered them from the park. It seemed the poison had worked better than they had imagined. Totally worth it to have Kakashi covered in graffiti with neon pink hair. I bet he didn't hinge just for us. Sakura sneezed from where she was hanging, cursing Naruto for corrupting her precious Sasuke. He had to give her points for just how creative she was getting with her threats. He'd never thought about using a banana and wooden spoon in that way. Still, he did say we passed. Yep, totally worth it.