Chapter #2

Sakura inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She smoothed out the bottom half of her red dress nervously and stared at the door.

"You have nothing to worry about," said Sasuke. "It'll be a piece of cake."

They were standing in front of the Graduation Examination Room. Any second her name would be called because it was her turn. The others were waiting anxiously in line against the wall.

"Normally, the exams are taken by students in alphabetical order," Iruka had explained to them yesterday. "But… would anyone like to be first?"

Only one person volunteered: Sasuke Uchiha. And he passed with flying colors.

Now he was waiting to see how she would do. All academy students had worked for years to prepare for this final test. Now, at the age of twelve, their skills would be evaluated.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Good luck," he said as she stepped through the door.

There were only two judges, including her teacher. "Ah, the top girl in my class," he said.

"Good morning."

"Let's see what you can do."

First they asked her some questions, such as what chakra was. Then they had her perform several random hand signs. Lastly, she had to do the Clone Jutsu and make three copies of herself.

"Congratulations, Miss Haruno. You pass."

"Th-That's it? I made it?"

"Yep. Come get your official Hidden Leaf Village Headband."

Sakura was so happy, she almost forgot how to move. But she pulled herself together, took a headband, and bowed.

"On Monday you are to report to class as usual, only this time it's just for graduates."

"Yes sir."

Sasuke didn't need to ask how it went when she came back. "Here, help me put it on." She unraveled the red ribbon she had worn for so long. She thought about giving it back to Ino, but changed her mind. Secretly, she decided that if she ever had a daughter, she'd give it to her. Sasuke put the silver plate over her forehead and was about to start tying, but stopped when Sakura cried out, "No, no! Put it up just like my ribbon!"

"It's supposed to protect your forehead," Sasuke replied, indicating his own headband.

"I know, but this is the way I want it. It's my style." And he submitted to her request.

"That's much better. Now, let's go celebrate!"

"Um… Sure."

They walked out the academy's main entrance only to be greeted by a large crowd of people. Most were adults either congratulating their children or waiting for theirs to show up.

"Where are your parents?"

"I already told them we were going somewhere after the exam."

The crowd was so large that it would be hard to squeeze by without losing sight of each other, so Sakura took hold of Sasuke's hand and led the way. Ever since he had detention, Sasuke's heart couldn't help but beat fast whenever he and Sakura touched. Now every time they went somewhere alone, it felt like a date.

"We're here," she announced and let his hand go. They went inside a small modest restaurant. Sakura ordered some dumplings, and Sasuke ordered the fish special and a side of rice balls for them to share.

While they waited he asked her a question. "Do you remember your birthday party two years ago? The one I was late for?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"…Has, um, your wish come true yet?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then, "No. Now that I think about it, you were probably right. I don't think it will ever come true, since it's impossible. Do you wanna know what it was?"

"Sure."

"I wished that my forehead would get smaller."

"Sakura--"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't worry too much about the way I look."

Their food arrived then, so they stopped talking for a while.

After he took her home, he had his beliefs straightened out. He liked her, but he didn't want their relationship any other way than it was now. They could always be friends (or "siblings"). He would protect her forever, just like he promised. If things were to stay like this, then what could happen?

--

On Monday, everyone who had passed the final test showed up for class like they were told. Many were surprised that Naruto somehow managed to graduate, too.

Now that they were graduates, Iruka explained, the next step in their ninja career was to become a Genin and train under an experienced Jounin. Everyone was put into teams of three. Sakura couldn't help noticing that every group had boys with either one girl, or zero.

"Team 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha--"

"Sonofabitch!" they screamed in their head.

"--and Sakura Haruno."

"That's more like it."

Once the teams were announced, they were released for lunch. Naruto had something to say to Sakura in private.

"What's up, Naruto?"

"Uh, well, um…" He started to sweat, but kept going. "I've liked you for a real long time, Sakura. So… Will you go out on a date with me?"

An awkward silence followed, broken only by a small gust of wind. Sakura thought he was joking at first, but he was looking more serious than she'd ever seen. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can only see you as a friend," she said gently. "And besides, I don't think Big Brother will like it. You know how protective they--"

"But he's not your brother! Hell, you're both the same age! Why do you always call him that if you're not related?"

She had honestly almost forgotten. "Because… he's always been there for me. I'm an only child, so I guess I got attached to him…" On the rare days when she hadn't seen Sasuke at all, she would come home and be surprised that he wasn't there. She had even thought about asking her parents to adopt him, but she instantly knew he would freak out and refuse. And she had no clue what her mom and dad would say.

"What are you two doing?" Sasuke asked. He was tired of waiting, and now they would be late. "It's time to go back."

In class, the Jounin were assigned to a team and sent away to get to know each other. Team 7 was the last group, but there were no more adults except Iruka. So much time passed that even he had to leave. When the new sensei finally arrived, the first thing Naruto said was, "Where the hell have you been!?"

The Jounin was a nearly fully-masked man named Kakashi Hatake. Since the room was empty, they introduced themselves right there. They didn't learn much about their teacher except that he would take some getting used to. The assignment for tomorrow was to meet in the training field for a difficult physical test. If they passed, they would all become Genin. If not, they'd be sent back to the academy.

Early next morning, the students arrived on time, but Kakashi was late again. The test was to try to take a bell from him before the alarm clock he brought struck noon. However, there were only two bells. Sakura had a feeling that she'd be the one to fail, since she was not as strong as Sasuke or Naruto.

But Kakashi was even better than the two boys combined. He easily dodged Naruto's attacks and defeated him with the simplest taijutsu. He trapped Sakura in a genjutsu and buried nearly all of Sasuke's body underground with ninjutsu.

By noon the bells were still with their original owner. Naruto had snuck off during the exercise to steal the lunches Kakashi had brought for them, but was caught. As punishment, he was tied to a stump and not allowed to eat. Kakashi decided to give them one more chance when he returned from break.

As the two teammates ate by Naruto, Sasuke had an idea. "This time, why don't we all try attacking him at the same time? We have a better chance that way."

"But who's going to get the bells?" Naruto asked. "Probably you guys. I'll be too weak and hungry to do it."

"No you won't," said Sakura, and she offered him what was left of her food. "I'm finished. You can have the rest."

"S…Sakura…" Naruto almost cried tears of joy.

"Here…" Sakura held rice with her chopsticks and fed him. A feeling burned through Sasuke that he supposed was jealousy, but he forced it away.

"Didn't I say Naruto was forbidden to eat?" a voice said, and all three graduates jumped. Their Jounin master had arrived so quickly and suddenly.

Sakura stammered, "But, but he was so hungry, and we had to give him energy so he could help us…"

"Yeah! They wanted to look out for me because--because--"

"Because we're all on the same team. We have to work together," Sasuke finished.

They thought Kakashi would yell at them, but instead he did something none of them expected: he passed them. The whole point of the test was teamwork, to try to get the bells together even if there were only two. And thus, the Genin squadron Team 7 was born.

--

"They're finally here!" Sakura exclaimed when Kakashi handed them each a photo. They were copies of the team's picture. Sakura looked forward to cherishing this treasure for years to come.

Nearly every day, the Genin would take on missions that were easy and annoying. They had to start off slow because they were beginners. Naruto would burst with glee whenever a much more exciting C-Rank mission was offered.

When they weren't on a mission, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would sometimes train together. Sakura was starting to get sick of seeing Naruto always challenging Sasuke to a fight. The results were always the same. And what was so satisfying about being better than someone else? Sakura knew that Naruto was special and talented in his own way. That's why no two people are alike. She guessed that she'd never understand since she was a girl.

One day Kakashi had a special lesson for them instead of a mission. Sakura didn't get her hopes up; ever since she graduated she never got a chance to write or take any notes or read any textbooks. It was all hands-on tasks from now on.

"Today I'm going to teach you about chakra control." He explained that knowing how to control chakra would allow jutsu to be used efficiently. They would have to practice it until it became second nature. No obstacle would be in their way once they achieved perfect balance.

The three of them were to concentrate chakra to their feet and try to climb a tree without using their hands. On the first try, Naruto made one step and Sasuke made five. The boys knew this would take a while, but when they looked for their teammate she was nowhere in sight. They found her on the highest branch of her tree.

"I can't go any higher."

"It looks like you're a natural," Kakashi commented. "I've never seen someone make it on their first try."

Sakura's success made Sasuke and Naruto determined to get it right. She told them some advice, and by the end of the week they were comfortable.

It turned out that knowing chakra control was very useful. One day Team 7 had a normal D-Rank mission: to find a missing pet. Only two made this mission different from the others that required them to locate a missing animal. The first was that the pet was a bird, a dark-blue one with a yellow ribbon around its neck. The second was that Kakashi wouldn't be with them. Sasuke would be in command.

"The lady said the bird doesn't like to be far from home. We'll check the trees near her house first." They split up to get the job done faster, but with no results. "Let's try searching the roofs."

A quarter of an hour later Sakura and Sasuke returned to the front of the client's house as agreed. Neither of them had found it.

Naruto returned disappointed, too. "Sorry, guys… I thought I saw it, but when I threw a kunai and pinned its tail, it was just a crow. I coulda sworn it was blue…"

"Naruto, you jerk! You could've killed the poor thing!" Sakura steamed. "Next time, just grab it with your hands!"

"But what if it tries to get away?"

"Then call Big Brother quickly. The birdcage is in his backpack."

"So what're we gonna do now, O Fearless Leader?"

"There are some buildings not far from here. Let's go to the top of the tallest one, so we can get a good view."

The highest building was seven stories tall. It was the home of a large clothing company. Team 7 took the elevator to the roof. There were a few birds, but not the one they wanted.

"Guys, look, c'mere!" Sakura called.

"Good job, Sakura! You found it?" Naruto said.

Sakura was at the roof's ledge. When her teammates got there, they didn't see anything but a bird sleeping in its nest. "Do you see? She's sitting on her eggs to keep them warm. I bet the dad's getting their lunch." Sakura smiled, apparently delighted by her discovery.

Naruto put both his hands behind his head. "Uhh, Sakura that's-- what do girls call it?-- cute and all, but we have a mission to focus on."

"I hate to say it, but Naruto's right. We have work to do, Sakura."

The girl blushed and bowed her head. "R-Right. Sorry."

They resumed searching the roof, then they looked over the edges to see the view below and beyond with binoculars.

"Th-There it is! I see it!" Naruto whispered as loud as he dared. The dark-blue bird was on what looked like a horizontal flag pole that stuck from the ledge where the Genin stood. It was sitting at the pole's tip, very far away. "How're we going to get it?"

"I'll do it," Sakura said. Without hesitation, she stood on the ledge and carefully started walking along the flagless pole, with chakra concentrated to her feet. She held her arms out for extra balance. The boys wanted to stop her, but they knew she was better at this than them.

"She'd make a great circus acrobat," Naruto noted.

Sasuke's response was a punch to the loudmouth's head. "Don't joke around."

Sakura got as close as she could to the bird, then leaned down very slightly. She reached out one arm and inched toward it. The others waited with held breath. The bird turned its head to the side suddenly, and they all knew that it was about to fly away. Sakura took a big risk and lunged, but it was no use. The animal spread its wings and soared. Sakura's lunge distracted her from controlling her chakra, and she fell.

"SAKURA!!" the guys screamed. Naruto was the first one on the pole, the first one to reach her, but he had to jump down to do it. Sasuke fell off and grabbed the end of the pole with both hands. Sakura grabbed Naruto's ankles and Naruto grabbed on to Sasuke's legs. They swayed there, dangling violently then slowly. It was as if they really were part of a circus.

Before anyone could speak, they saw the bird again. It landed about ten inches from Sasuke's hands. Then it hopped right in front of them and looked at his fingers curiously.

"Hurry, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "Grab it!"

"I…can't…"

"Then let's hope that bird's not hungry, or else it'll think your fingers are worms." Naruto was only being half-serious, but soon they all watched what the pet did in horror. It started pecking and nibbling gently at the only things keeping them up. "SASUKE, I SWEAR, IF YOU LET GO…"

Sasuke let out an unexpected noise from his lips. It wasn't an "Ow" or even a "Shoo"-- it was a snicker. "It… tickles!" he laughed. One of his pinkies slipped.

"YOU IDIOT! PULL US UP, NOW!"

"Big Brother! I never thought I'd say this, but don't laugh! Our lives are in your hands!"

Sasuke stopped, but the bird didn't. "I have to keep my promise to her. An Uchiha always takes things seriously." For ten agonizing and suspenseful seconds, Sasuke struggled to pretend the tickling sensation wasn't there.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "All right, now all we have to do--" He never got to finish because at that moment his rival let go completely, laughing his head off.

The other two screamed and let go of what they were hanging on to. They had never seen Sasuke so happy. Tears were pouring out and he couldn't stop laughing.

"You know, I really don't see what's so funny," said Naruto.

Sakura smiled nervously. "At least he'll die laughing."

"Since we're doomed, can I have a kiss?"

She slapped him just before they crashed.

Sasuke didn't know how long he'd been knocked out. He just opened his eyes and saw white. He coughed and found his voice. "…Am… Am I dead? Is this heaven?" He turned his head and saw Naruto lying a few feet away. "Oh, crap! Naruto's here! This must be hell!!"

"There you are," Sakura's voice said. Sasuke's vision was blurry, so he just lay there and waited for it to clear. He was glad to see Sakura's familiar green eyes staring down at him. The sun made her long pink hair shine. She must've become an angel. Even though Naruto was there, this had to be heaven after all.

Naruto stirred and his voice was thick when he said, "Uggh, what happened last night?"

Sakura supported Sasuke as he put his arm around her neck and shoulder. Together they stood up with just the right amount of balance. He saw that they were all on a bunch of white fluff. It had to be a miracle that they'd landed in something soft.

"Hey you kids! Outta the cart!" A man had just come out the entrance of the building they'd fallen off. He was carrying several large empty cardboard boxes. "I need to start packaging the wool you're playing in."

"We weren't playing!" Naruto argued. "And we're not kids! In case you didn't notice the headbands, we're Leaf ninja, and we should be treated with respect!"

"We're very sorry, sir," Sakura said. Team 7 carefully got out of the enormous wool-filled wagon. "We were looking for a lost pet bird."

"That bird wouldn't happen to be blue with a yellow ribbon, would it?"

Naruto stopped shaking off the sheep fur. "Yeah! You saw it, mister?"

With renewed strength, the group headed for their destination. Sasuke was sad to have Sakura let him go, but he had to be a strong leader while Kakashi was gone.

There were quite a few children in the park today. They went to the area with several trees and bushes. They had thought it would be somewhere in a tree's branches, but Sasuke spotted it on the ground. It was pecking through the grass.

"We'll get it this time!" Naruto whispered fiercely. Sasuke quietly got the cage out.

"I have an idea," said Sakura. "I won't let you down this time." She picked off a bunch of tiny berries growing from the nearest bush. She crept toward the bird until they were about one yard apart. She took a berry and tossed it right next to the critter. It hopped a little in fear, but then saw the treat. Sakura tossed two more, each landing further from the bird and closer to her. At last the pet was within grabbing range. The kunoichi held her hand out, revealing the final berry. It hopped into her hand and gobbled it up. Sakura gently cupped the bird with both hands and stroked it reassuringly.

Sasuke opened the cage's door, and she placed the bird inside.

"All right! Mission accomplished!" Naruto claimed triumphantly.

The woman who had lost her pet was delighted to see it return safe and sound. The mission made the three realize how useful chakra control was, especially when it came to them naturally.

--

Three days after the missing pet bird mission, Kakashi decided to see if they could use their technique to walk on something much less solid: water. The training would take place at the local hot spring. If they fell in, the scorching hot water would remind them to try harder next time. Hot springs were usually fun to be in at night or on a cool day, but the day they were to practice was above normal temperature. Team 7 suspected that its sensei chose this particular day on purpose. At least he gave them permission to wear bathing suits. Sasuke wore black trunks, and Naruto's were as blue as his eyes.

Even though Sakura wore a simple red one-piece, Naruto was still attacked by a small nosebleed.

Their practice area was the hot ponds outside the actual bath house. It was different from climbing trees. The water was so hot and unstable beneath their feet. Even Sakura couldn't perfect the skill on her first try. Instead, it took her two times.

Once Kakashi was confident that his pupils could handle water, he offered them a reward.

"A vacation?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Nope. A C-Rank mission. One that I think the three of you can do on your own."

Of course, Naruto was the most enthusiastic.

--

Saturday morning was cloudy. The students of Team 7 met up at the Leaf Village Mission Headquarters. Iruka would be at the desk to explain their objective in detail. He gave them a scroll that contained a map of a jungle not too far outside the village. It had once belonged to a gang of bandits who had supposedly abandoned the hideout a few days ago. There were small black Xs all over it.

"One of the members was captured just yesterday, and he had this map on him. When interrogated, all we could get out of him was that one of the Xs was the location of a wooden chest full of silver pieces that they'd stolen from one of our village's shops. The shop will go bankrupt if the silver isn't recovered. Your mission is to locate the chest and bring it back in one piece."

A treasure hunt wasn't what they'd expect from their sensei, but a mission was a mission. Team 7 headed out immediately.

The jungle was very humid and green. Sakura kept a cautious eye out for bugs and other creepy animals. Using the map, they were able to find three of the marked places. There was no treasure hidden in them. Their fourth destination was across a river, an ideal time to use their new ability. But when they reached the giant tree, there was no wooden chest to be found near the trunk or the branches. Nor was there any sign of a spot that'd been recently dug up.

When they took a quick break, Naruto started wailing. "This is getting us nowhere. Checking the Xs one at a time will take all day and night. I say we split up."

Sakura asked, "How can we do that when there's only one map?"

"You've got a good memory, Sakura. Just study the map for a while and you'll do fine," Naruto said confidently.

She was very uneasy about separating, and the boys could tell. Before Sasuke had a chance to open his mouth, Naruto quickly added, "And you don't have to be afraid because I'll be your personal bodyguard. Besides, I always have a tough time with reading maps."

"Well… All right then." So she spent a few minutes photocopying the scroll to her mind. Then Sasuke took it back and headed one way while Naruto and Sakura went another.

"So where be our next stop, Captain Haruno?"

"It's a cave not too far from a clearing up ahead."

They dashed on, dodging the jungle's thick plants that grew everywhere. Eventually they reached a wide open space filled with sunlight. Sakura suddenly froze at the center of it.

"What is it?" But Naruto's question was answered quite clearly. Emerging from the trees all around them were men dressed all alike, wearing the same red bandanas around their necks. "Bandits?!" Naruto cried out in disbelief, but now was not the time to think. He stood protectively in front of Sakura and made a hand sign. He was eager for a fight. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

--

An unpleasant feeling swept through Sasuke as he pulled out the map to find his next location, after failing to find the chest in the last few places. It was probably nothing, but it wouldn't be wise to ignore it completely. Better to be safe than sorry, even if it did make him seem paranoid. Maybe Naruto was hitting on Sakura again. In any case, he sought out the X closest to where his teammates had headed.

As he got closer, he could sense that they were in danger. Sure enough, he spotted a group of Narutos in an open area. Several people were running into the deep jungle.

"Hey, where're ya goin'!? Had enough already!?"

"Naruto, what happened?"

"Oh, hey, Sasuke!" the ninja greeted as his clones disappeared. "You missed it! I kicked butt like a pro, didn't I, Sakura?"

There was no answer.

They looked around, but they were the only ones there.

"Oh, no…"

"Naruto…? Where's Sakura?"

The boy looked at his partner grimly. "She's been captured."

Sasuke wanted to demand an explanation but no words came. Anyway, he could pretty much guess the details. Instead, he grabbed Naruto by the collar. "I thought you were her personal bodyguard."

"Hey, we can't be wasting time arguing!"

He was right. Sasuke released his grip, and Naruto fixed his collar. Then the latter looked up and said, "What should we do?"

The other took out the scroll and unrolled it. "It's possible that they're hiding her in the same place they hid the chest."

"Should we split up? I think you can get by without a map good enough."

"No, I think we should look for her together."

"If only we'd thought to bring communication devices…" Naruto lamented.

They spent the next twenty minutes crossing out as many Xs as they could. Not one of them held the chest or Sakura.

"Hey, this one's different from the other places," commented Naruto.

"Wow, you're right again. Must be a new record for you."

The next spot they were traveling to wasn't like the rest. It usually was a tree or cave, but this one looked more like a cabin. When they got to it they saw that it actually resembled a giant cement block. All it had was an iron-barred window.

"Could this be… a prison?" And again, Naruto's question was answered for him.

"Naruto? Big Brother? Is that you?" Sakura's face appeared behind the window.

"Sakura! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, guys. I think they knocked me out with chloroform; I don't remember how I got here."

"Do you see a way out? 'Cause there aren't any doors out here," said Naruto.

"I can hardly see anything-- the only light is coming from this window. I think I can see keys hanging on the wall across from my cell, but I don't see a door… What about the roof?"

They hadn't thought about that. Ever since the missing bird incident, Naruto was a little afraid of heights, but he followed Sasuke up the side of the building nevertheless.

The roof was bare and flat. But a square outline in the corner was blending in with the pavement. It had a round ring attached, like a doorknocker.

"It's a trap door…" Sasuke lifted and pulled, but of course, it wouldn't give. "It's locked from the inside." Then they ran back down and reported their discovery to Sakura.

"I don't see one on the ceiling… Oh! It has to be over there!"

"Where?" Naruto asked.

"There's a long hallway. It's in the opposite direction of my window. There's probably a staircase at the end of it." She paused for a moment to think. "Listen, guys… we still have a mission to complete. You go on and see if the treasure is somewhere else. I'll try to think of a way out of this cell and if I do, I'll see if it's in here."

"All right," Sasuke agreed. "Then we'll meet you back here."

The boys stuck together since there were now only five Xs left. By the time they narrowed it down to two (including the jail), they were both exhausted and frustrated from running around a jungle all day. This next mark was right in the middle of a large sparkling lake with a big waterfall.

"Don't tell me it's underwater!" Naruto groaned. "Why can't it be a tree or cave like always…?!"

"Wait…" Sasuke studied the view before them closely. The water was clear enough to see through, but not all the way to the bottom floor. If it really was down there, it would take much effort to find. "Naruto, I think you're on to something again."

"Huh?"

"Follow me." Without further delay, Sasuke sprinted across the lake. He was confident that he wouldn't slip or sink-- he didn't master chakra control for nothing, after all. The Genin came to a halt right in front of the waterfall.

"Ah, I see! There's a cave behind here! With any luck, the chest'll be in there. Alright! CHARGE!"

"Ah, hold it-- Naruto!"

Sadly, the hasty ninja braced himself and charged right through the heavily falling water and immediately tripped on something hard that had struck his foot. He slid forward on his stomach, soaked. When he opened his eyes, all he could look at was Sasuke's shoes because he couldn't lift his head.

"You didn't have to just go crashing in like that. I was gonna warn you that there's a rock platform we could walk along to get behind the waterfall."

Naruto groaned, "Now you tell me." He gingerly got to his feet and squeezed water from his shirt.

The cave grew darker the deeper they ventured in. Their footsteps echoed and raised dust. Just when they thought their surroundings would turn pitch black, they'd reached a dead end. They searched and searched but there was no chest.

"You… have got… to be… KIDDING ME!"

At Naruto's outburst, the ceiling erupted with sound. The cave filled with the angry screeching of bats.

"Damn it, Naruto! I'm getting tired of your big mouth!"

"Just shut up and run!"

The bats grew hyper over the chaos and confusion. The boys didn't stop running until they were safely off the lake entirely. They had a fair number of scratches from the flying nocturnal creatures. For a few moments they did nothing but pant.

The Uchiha stood by his theory and doubted that what they sought was somewhere underwater. "This means…" he gasped, "the silver has to be back at the prison. It's the only place left."

Naruto, with his endless supply of stamina, straightened up in a flash. "Alright. Let's save Sakura, grab the box, and get the hell outta here."

Sasuke took one last look back. The sun had disappeared behind the waterfall and the sky was rapidly darkening. One or two stars were visible already. The Hidden Leaf comrades pushed their way back toward the small building. When they at last reached the familiar area they stopped in their tracks.

It was on fire.