This story is based on Naruto written by Masashi Kishimoto

A/N: to answer some questions, it will be mostly sakura-centric for now, before becoming team-centric. And all members of the team will be specializing in something different from their cannon versions. Skills besides clan stuff.

Hope you enjoy :)

After calming down and cleaning themselves up they make their way to the classroom. Both feel like a weight they didn't even noticed before has been lifted.

Both of them calmly walk to their seats, Ino following Shikamaru and Choji while Sakura sat next to Shino.

This of course surprised everyone.

It didn't take long for the resident gossip to claim the seat directly in front of Sakura and Shino.

Kiba crouches on top of the seat, body facing them. "Alright spill, what's going on?" Shino remains quiet and motionless while Sakura merely raises a brow. "Don't give me that, there's no way nothing happened to make you and Yamanaka change so much over night." His natural grin turned sharp. "Now spill."

Sakura sighs and sags back in her seat. "We haven't changed, this is just us minus the fangirling. Not surprising you think that though, we don't really talk much."

Kiba's nose wrinkles as he thinks. "Guess not." Then he smirks and points at her. "You didn't say that nothing happened. Come on you gotta give me something."

Sakura frowns in contemplation before finally relenting. "On one condition." Kiba nods frantically so she continues. "I get to snuggle Akamaru all day while inside the classroom." She looks down at Akamaru lounging in Kiba's jacket. "If that's alright with you?"

Akamaru barks and Kiba grins. "He's cool with it." He starts fidgeting and waving his hands around. "The suspense is killing me."

Sakura sighs. "Well, the simple version is that I remembered my priorities and realized how crazy I was being. With a little push from Sasuke of course." She finished with a grin.

Kiba lets out a surprised laugh. "Really? What did the asshole say?"

Sakura couldn't contain her giggles. "Oh you know, just being his usual self."

Kiba snickers under his breath. "Then why did you finally realize it now and not earlier?"

Sakura composes herself to say the realization she knew he would love. "Believe it or not, that was the first time he decided to grace us with his voice."

Kiba literally howled with laughter, leaning back and catching himself on his desk before he could fall to the floor. "What? That's amazing!" he spins around to face Sasuke's general area. "Hear that Uchiha? All you have to do is be your normal, charming self and your fangirls will be running for the hills!"

Sakura giggles while standing up to reach for Akamaru. "You're coming with me." She gently pulls him out of the jacket while Kiba is too busy busting up over his new piece of gossip. Akamaru barks in what she assumes is agreement.

She cuddles him until Iruka-sensei comes in to start the class, telling everyone to quiet down. She places him in her lap and pulls out multiple notebooks to review.

Once Iruka-sensei finishes one last lecture they will finally start taking their graduation exams.

Sakura was excited and nervous.

Excited that she will finally be a genin soon.

And nervous about the possibility that the world hates her enough to put her on the same team as Sasuke.

Sakura released a squeal, surprising the trio waiting for her outside of the academy. "I passed!"

Ino snorts and and smothers her in hugs. "As if there was any doubt."

Chuckling, Sakura leans back. "I barely passed the taijutsu section, I'm convinced that my adorable cuddle buddy gave me good luck."

"What was that about anyway? Kiba was louder than usual." Shikamaru cracks open an eye and looks sideways at her while they walk.

"He just wanted to gossip about what was going on with us." She shrugs. "I got to snuggle Akamaru as payment."

Shikamaru just makes an 'ah' sound while Ino shrugs too.

Choji starts moving faster. "Let's get BBQ to celebrate!"

"Yeah!" They chorus in reply.

Sakura scoops up a piece of meat before Choji could snatch it. "By the way, Shikamaru, I'll be needing your help in a few days." She says before stuffing the meat in her mouth.

"Oh? Why's that?" He says lazily, placing some more raw meat on the grill.

"Once I know which team I'm on I'll need help brainstorming on what areas I should concentrate on." Sakura switches to eating rice while the meat cooks. "I'm pretty much a blank slate right now, which gives me the chance to learn things around my team's strengths and weaknesses."

"Ah." Shikamaru nods in understanding. "Depending on your team specialization, you'll need to gain certain skills that are related. As well as a secondary that allows you to support your team. Filling out the gaps in the team without being restricted by clan obligation."

Ino pouts. "There's no doubt we'll end up being the next ino-shika-cho combo." She shoves rice into her mouth with unnecessary force. "If we decide to specialize outside of basic ninja skills, it will always be secondary to clan jutsu."

"Huh." Sakura frowns in thought. "Never really thought of clans like that."

Shikamaru nods. "For an example, look at the Hyuga clan. It is very rare for any member of the clan, main or branch, to study outside of their gentle fist style." He sighs in agitation. "Real shame when you realize how good they could be as med-nin."

Sakura nods, lost in thought. That attitude towards other fields of jutsu is very limiting a very dangerous. If an enemy ninja has faced enough Hyuga ninja before in the past, then the Hyuga become moderately more predictable.

And predictability can mean death for even the strongest of ninja.

Choji snatches meat off the grill at lightning speed. "We'll know for sure tomorrow."

Sakura nods and stuffs meat in her mouth.

Sakura and her teammates won't fall into that trap, of arrogance and assuredness that convinces ninja that their skills are unbeatable.

She'll make sure of it.

As Sakura takes her seat next to Shino, she glances around the room, taking note of all the empty desks and missing people.

About a 3rd of the class failed the exam.

Speaking of someone she thought had failed.

Naruto kicks in the door and raises both fists in the air. "I made it, dattebayo!"

Sakura stared at him slightly dumbfounded. "But he failed yesterday, I swear he did." She glances at Shino. "I'm not imagining this am I?"

"No, Haruno-san." Shino sounded strangely contemplative. "Why? Because everyone else thought he failed."

That just makes Sakura more confused. "Nothing is ever simple when it comes to him."

"Of course not." Said Ino as she spontaneously appeared next to her. "Well this limits what team you're probably on. With your scores you're guaranteed to be on a team with clan kids."

Sakura shrugs. "Probably." Looking over at Shino again, she asks, "Do you think you'll end up with Kiba or Hinata? Your families are assigned together almost as often as the Ino-Shika-Cho formation."

Shino nods. "Possibly both, why? Because it can create formidable tracking teams."

Sakura sighs in resignation. "Which means I'll most likely end up on a team with Sasuke. And probably Naruto now that he passed."

Ino nods in agreement. "A team with both of them on it is almost guaranteed to be an assault squad. "I really hope you're not on it. They're more likely to fight each other over stupid things than complete the mission."

Sakura nodded, if she ended up on that team, she'd be nothing but cannon fodder.

During the time they were talking, Sasuke must have said something to offend Naruto, because now he was now squatting on his desk giving sasuke the stink eye.

All it took was a tap from behind to Push Naruto into a kiss.

Sakura's thoughts stalled before it was like a lightbulb turned on in her brain. "Everything makes so much more sense now." It put so much more context to all of they're interactions.

Ino nodded slowly. "Yeah." she said in wonder. "How could I have been so blind? I'm usually able to spot these things from a mile away."

"Probably denial." As it sunk in, the two boys pulled apart and started gagging. "Pff, who are they trying to fool? Even Naruto has reflexes fast enough to dodge that, Sasuke definitely could have."

Ino chuckled lightly. "This seems like a momentous occasion. I feel a strange urge to congratulate them or something."

"Hmm, we should get them gift baskets." Sakura side eyes Ino. "That wouldn't be too weird right?"

"For them, nothing is too weird."

Iruka-sensei chose that moment to get everyone's' attention. "Alright, sit down, it's time for team assignments." He said while absently nailing a sleeping Shikamaru in the head with a piece of chalk. "Team 1…"

The moment of truth.

It took a few minutes of listening intently, but eventually Iruka-sensei got to the team she least wanted to be on.

"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke…"

Sakura held her breath.

"... and Hyuga Hinata. Your jounin sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai."

Sakura released her breath, taking advantage of the break courtesy of Naruto's loud mouth. She felt intense relief that it wasn't her on that team. At the same time she felt that Hinata was about to get thrown into the deep end. That doesn't even take into account the intense crush she has on Naruto. Everyone knew except the boy himself.

"oof, poor Hinata." Ino cringed in sympathy.

Sakura nods and looks over at her. She was red in the face and looking a little woozy. Probably from a combination of seeing the kiss earlier and then being put on their team. "We should get her a gift basket too, she deserves one."

Ino nods. "And their sensei too. I can't imagine how she'll cope with this."

An unintelligible shout brings their attention back to naruto, who looks about ready to lunge at Sasuke again. What he wanted to do exactly was unclear. Looking over at Hinata shows that she looks ready to faint.

Sakura sighs and rubs her forehead. "Let's make their gift baskets twice as big."

They share a conspiratorial look before looking back toward Iruka-sensei, who had finally gotten Naruto under control.

"Moving on." He said exasperated. "Team 8, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Haruno Sakura. Your jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura released a relieved breath she didn't know she was holding. A team with Shino and Kiba had been her first and best choice, but she wasn't sure.

Shino because he has been her desk neighbor for about 2 years and he tolerated her through her fangirl phase.

Kiba because he's a slightly mellower version of Naruto that likes to gossip. And despite how Sakura acted, she didn't actually hate Naruto, it was mostly a desperate act to get Sasuke to notice her.

Though he does have an insane ability to ignite her temper.

Sakura has high hopes for her team. While she didn't interact with them much, they got along fine when they did decide to.

Ino walks back to sit with Shikamaru and Choji. There's no doubt they'll be on the same team, Iruka-sensei's confirmation is unnecessary.

She looks to the side and grins at Shino, who nods in acknowledgment. Looking down a few rows she sees Kiba already grinning at them too, Akamaru gives a happy yip.

They'll be great.

Sakura can feel it in her bones. In the core of her very being.

All they needed to do now was eat lunch and see what kind of sensei they got.