Hey everyone, here's a new chapter for you all. My recommended tracks for this chapter are 'Daylight of Konoha' for the beginning, 'Morning' for the middle, and 'Sakura Season' for the end. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!

"Today is the day of your Academy final exams. Today, you all have the chance to show how far you have come since you started at the Academy. Today, you will all have the opportunity to become true shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, and make this village proud of you." Iruka-sensei concluded and stood back. "Now, you all know the drill. Stand forward when I call your name."

The students were called one by one to perform the jutsu. After each success came clapping and cheering from the other members of the class, and the student was handed their headband with the Leaf Village's insignia on it.

Sasuke's turn went off without a hitch and he took his headband from Iruka-sensei emotionlessly while most of the female population of the room went wild with applause.

Sakura's turn also had no problems. She smiled with excitement as Iruka-sensei handed her her headband.

"I won't let you down!" she proclaimed.

"I'm sure you won't!" Iruka-sensei laughed.

Sasuke stared at Sakura. She was so strange! He shook his head.

When Naruto's turn came, most of the class looked at the floor abashedly as he walked to the front with a nervous expression. Sasuke glanced at Sakura. She was looking at Naruto serenely.

As Naruto took his stance, he looked at Sakura. She gave him a small nod.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He performed the hand signs almost as rapidly as Sasuke had, and before everyone's eyes appeared the perfect image of the Hokage. Gasps of shock were audible around the class, and deafening applause began to ring out in the classroom. Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was looking at Naruto with pride on her face. How could she have done it?!

Naruto, at first unable to believe that he had actually passed the exam, was then ecstatic, and ran around the room in excitement with his headband.

"Now settle down," Iruka-sensei said with laughter and a trace of bemusement in his voice. "Today, you have all passed the exam, and I can now proclaim you all Genin!"

The class roared with approval, and Sasuke saw Naruto look at Sakura, his eyes shining with gratitude.

Then a stampede occurred as everyone rushed outside to go home and tell their parents the good news.

Sasuke was as stoical as ever as he began to walk outside, his hands in his pockets.

"How about some ramen, Naruto?" he heard Iruka-sensei say to Naruto.

"Sure! Let me just see if I can find Sakura." Naruto looked around. "Sakura!"

Sasuke continued outside the classroom and began to walk home. On his way he saw Sakura sauntering down the road. She smirked at him.

"Told you you were wrong about him." She said smugly.

"Why did you do it?" he asked suddenly, the words coming out before he had even thought through them.

"Do what?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Help him. There's no way he would have been able to do that without your help."

Sakura's face cleared. "Because he's my friend of course!" she said, looking at Sasuke as if he were an idiot.

Then they heard a voice shout "Sakura!". Both heads turned simultaneously to see Naruto running down the road. "Sakura, come to Ichiraku's! Iruka-sensei's treat!"

"Ok then!" she said. "See ya round, sucker!" she stuck her tongue out at Sasuke and ran back in the direction of the Academy with Naruto.

Sasuke glared after them. 'Immature freak.'

But as he turned around and continued on the way to his home, he thought about what she had said.

"Because he's my friend of course!"

He shook his head. 'Whatever.'


The next day dawned bright and clear. Sakura lay on her bed, her hands behind her head, and a smile on her face. Today was the day it all really started. Today she would begin life as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village and make her village proud. Most of all, she would be able to make him proud, the one who had brought her out of her solitude in Suna to be educated as a shinobi in Konoha. A soft smile played with her lips as she contemplated the old man whom they all revered so much and who was the pillar of the village. She remembered that day so clearly, the day when this strange old man had come to see her in Suna. At first, she had not trusted him. Why should she have? Nobody else had ever shown her kindness. But the old man had told her how sorry he was that she had been left alone for so long. He told her it was all a mistake. He had begun training her as a shinobi. He had taught her everything she knew. When he had left for the first time, Sakura had cried. But, he told her that he couldn't leave his village alone for so long, and eventually he had managed to pacify her with promises that he would come back soon and that, as soon as he could, he would take her back with him.

And he had. Although that didn't happen until several visits later, the day finally came when the Sandaime had told her that, this time, she could come back with him to his village, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And that had been the happiest moment of her life.

And now she was here! And she had become a Genin, and she was going to make the Sandaime proud. And maybe one day, far in the future, when he was choosing his successor… maybe, just maybe she would have a chance.

With a sigh, she threw off her blanket and got ready for the day.

Soon, she was strolling down the road towards the Academy, where they would be assigned their squads and senseis. Suddenly, she noticed a speck of black in the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly to see Sasuke walking parallel with her on the other side of the road. He caught sight of her at the same time as she saw him and they both glared at each other before turning away from each other pointedly.

Sakura began to walk a little faster. To her annoyance she noticed that Sasuke had done the same and was not behind her. She increased her pace a little further, but he did the same. This continued until both of them were sprinting down the road at full speed. Sakura saw the door of the Academy. She was almost there! She could see that Sasuke had further to go since he was on the other side of the road, and she knew that she would get there first. She began to smile triumphantly.

Suddenly, she collided with a wall of blond.

"Watch where you're going billboard brow!" Ino screeched.

"Get out the way, pig!" Sakura said, not even bothering to respond to Ino's taunt. She shoved her out of the way, to Ino's intense indignation, and continued to the door. However, it was too late. That slight interruption to Sakura's journey was all Sasuke had needed to overtake her and enter the building, smirking back at her.

Panting, Sakura stomped up to him.

"That… is not fair… I… would have been… first." Sakura jabbed Sasuke in the chest with her finger.

"Well too bad." Sasuke said nonchalantly. "You're still a loser."

"You… little…"

"SAKURA!" Naruto ran out from behind Sasuke, pushing him and causing him to lose his balance. He swayed, unable to right himself, and he fell forward.

A deathly silence ensued. Everyone's mouth hung impossibly wide open.

In the middle of the room, Sasuke stood, with his lips on Sakura's. Both of their faces turned an intense red.

Then the chaos began.

Sasuke felt his face graced with a crushing blow from Sakura's fist, which sent him flying across the room.

"EWWWWWW! GET OFF ME YOU PIG!" Sakura screamed, quite unnecessarily.

Sasuke glowered at her, half of his face a bright red, and the other a deep purple. "That was Naruto's fault. Like I would EVER kiss you." He growled.

"WHATever." She spat out and grimaced as if she had just eaten excrement. "I'm going to wash my mouth out!" she stormed off to the washroom.

The entire female population of the school stared, aghast, unable to believe what they had just seen.

Naruto began to laugh uncontrollably. Sasuke gave him a bone-crushing whack on his head and then stormed into the classroom.

"HEY YOU LITTLE-"

Naruto tried to follow him, but he was foiled by a massive crowd of girls who were rushing to the area where Sakura had just emerged from the washroom.

"HOW DARE YOU KISS SASUKE!"

"I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SASUKE'S FIRST KISS!"

"Well it's not exactly like I tried! He practically assaulted me! There's nothing I wanted less than to be Sasuke's first kiss!" Sakura said in disgust.

But there was no reasoning with the rabid crowd of girls. Sakura sighed. "Guess it'll have to be the hard way then."

A few minutes later, she dusted her hands clean and walked away from a huge pile of girls strewn on top of each other. She walked serenely into the classroom, followed by Naruto, who was rather awed by what he had just seen, and they sat down.

Iruka-sensei soon emerged from the door on the other side of the classroom.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, frowning, seeing that Sakura was the only girl in the classroom.

"Oh they'll be here soon." Sakura said dismissively.

Soon enough, bedraggled girls with their usually perfectly done hair now all over the place began to file into the classroom and sit down.

Iruka wondered if there was something wrong with his eyesight. 'I'm going to have to get my eyes checked.' he thought to himself.

"Ok, now that you're all here," he said aloud, "I will tell you the squads you have been assigned to. After that, each squad will meet their sensei. After that, it is up to the sensei what you will do. So let's begin…" he began reading out he list of squad members. Sakura watched as people filed to the front and stood in the groups of three to which they had been assigned, waiting with baited breath to hear her own name. 'I hope I'm with someone nice! As long as it's not Ino or, worse, Sasuke.' She glared at the latter through the corner of her eye, and found him already glaring at her. They turned away from each other with the customary "Hmph!"

"And Team 7 is Sakura Haruno,…" Sakura held her breath, "…Naruto Uzumaki,…" Naruto cheered and held up his hand for Sakura to high-five. Sakura grinned. She couldn't believe her luck! "…and Sasuke Uchiha."

Three mouths dropped open. Three genin slumped onto their desks. "I'm doomed." three genin groaned simultaneously.