This was the morning, Sakura thought. Today she would see Naruto for the first time in five years. Not even her mother's yelling this morning could distract her from that factoid. Today was the day that she and Naruto would get paired with Sasuke, which maybe should have been her biggest worry. How would she and Naruto be able to work with that egocentric, backstabbing prick. Even without the murder of his entire clan he was still sullen with his only goal being surpassing Itachi. God, how did she used to think that he hung the moon? He was so boring and stupid. Besides it would be creepy for her to have a crush on him no anyways seeing as he was thirteen and she was about 21 if she added on the years she had spent as a child.
Sakura looked around to see who else was in the vicinity of the academy and spotted Naruto. "Naruto," she called out still in her young Sakura persona.
Naruto's head popped up, a giant smile appearing on his face. "Sakura!" he waved excitedly and then as an afterthought added "chan." Liked he'd called her in their childhood.
Sakura smirked and walked up to him still in her young Sakura persona and watched him squirm as he started to wonder which Sakura he was talking to. She punched his arm, "You need to be a better actor Naruto, imagine if that wasn't… well… me."
He rubbed his arm where her chakra infused punch had hit. "Well if I didn't know it was you before I sure know now." They both smiled and Sakura reveled in how good it felt to have someone who really knew her. Naruto's grin faded somewhat as they made their way to the classroom, "Listen Sakura, I think there is something wrong I came back yesterday to make sure I learned that Shadow Clone Jutsu, and-" he was cut off by Ino poking her head out of the door.
"Hey loser, forehead, hurry up Iruka-sensei is about to call out team assignments."
"Later," Sakura promised as the two of them made their way up to the back row with the only two seats open and sat behind Sasuke.
"Hey is it really okay for us to not be in the same place," Naruto asked.
"It should be fine since we plan on changing the future anyway," she whispered back. "Honestly I think that we shouldn't try too hard to stick to what happened last time as long as we don't change anything so drastically that we can't tell what will happen next."
"About that Sakura, I think something is wrong-" he was cut off again this time by Iruka calling out team assignments.
Sakura was pretty sure at this point that Naruto knew that some part of the past was changed but judging by his demeanor he believed that it was something that he had done. She didn't relish the thought of breaking the news to him that she was actually the one to change things so much.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by Iruka calling Sasuke's name. Apparently their seating had already changed some things since the next name he called out was Naruto's and he didn't have to fake his pout at being put in the same team as Sasuke.
"I pity the person who has to be put with you two to keep you from each other's throats," she said playfully.
Iruka called out her name, "Well I guess it's time for you to pity yourself," Naruto smirked. Ino growled at Sakura from in front of the duo. And Sakura waved her fingers at her longtime frenemy in a sarcastic manner.
Nobody noticed Shikamaru's confusion at the duo's antics. In fact no one but Shikamaru seemed to think that there was anything strange about how the two were suddenly acting like good friends. In the end he decided that it was too troublesome to focus on and decided to ignore them.
One by one jonin instructors came into the room to get their teams until only team seven was left. Naruto got up and got an eraser to sick in the door. He turned and looked at Sakura silently questioning.
"Go ahead, it won't be that funny but whatever."
He grinned and proceeded to place the eraser in the doorway, "It's symbolic."
"Sure it is," she drawled.
Naruto pouted.
Sakura smirked.
Sasuke ignored the both of them and brooded like they weren't there.
They waited for another two hours, during which Sakura and Naruto had played hangman, until Kakashi walked through the door, a cloud of chalk dust coating his presence. He said one sentence, "Let's meet on the roof," and the disappeared.
"That was pretty symbolic," Sakura deadpanned as the trio made their way to the roof.
"It represents my refusal to conform to society," Naruto insisted.
They grinned and looked behind them at Sasuke who was obviously scowling at the fact that a jonin with such bad reflexes was going to be their teacher. Sakura and Naruto locked eyes it was obvious that it was going to be tiring to go about this ways for a long time.
They sat down in front of Kakashi who was reading Icha Icha Paradise. They waited for ten minutes before he finally looked up. "Introduce yourselves." They stared blankly back at him.
"You know, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, hopes and dreams etc.," he elaborated.
"You first," Sakura pushed, "We know about each other and you probably know basic info from your files, but none of us know anything about you." This was technically a lie because she and Naruto probably knew more about Kakashi than anyone else in the village except maybe Genma.
Kakashi put his book down and sighed. "My likes and dislikes… My hobbies… I have many, and my hopes and dreams well I don't feel like telling you that." He pointed to Sakura, "You first."
She sighed, Kakashi would always be Kakashi. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like sweet things and I don't like waking up early. I hate egotistical prats." She watched Kakashi's eyes widen and Naruto hold in a laugh. "My hobbies are avoiding my parents and practicing ninja techniques. As for my dream, I hope to become strong enough to protect the village form anything." Well at least that would be an introduction to remember.
Naruto shot up straight, "Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen. I dislike not having ramen, and I hate when people think that I am a dropout. My hobbies include running from the authorities after pulling pranks and comparing ramen. My dream is to become hokage and possibly own a ramen shop." Kakashi seemed to expect most of the answers except for the running from the authorities one, which his eye widened comically.
Sakura and Naruto silently decided that they'd have to keep him on his toes.
Sasuke seemed to be pretending that he hadn't heard anything. Kakashi prompted him and he sullenly began, "Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like anything. I dislike dropouts who think that they can become powerful without working hard. I have no hobbies. My dream is to surpass my brother Itachi and prove that I am stronger to my clan."
Naruto's gasped at Sasuke's allusion to his clan. Did it mean that they were alive? He went back over his speech and stopped. Wait did Sasuke call him a dropout? "Sakura hold my headband I have to fight this idiot."
Sakura giggled and pulled Naruto's arm causing him to fall on his butt. "Down boy." She infused chakra into her arm to keep him pinned as he repeatedly tried to get up and punch Sasuke.
Kakashi coughed and directed attention towards himself. "Tomorrow will be our first training exercise we will be practicing survival technique. Don't eat breakfast or you'll throw it up." And with that he left, incredibly confused since his files had stated that Sakura was a Sasuke fangirl and hated Naruto and suddenly the exact opposite had happened. Kakashi shrugged it off; it was simply a case of miss communication.
Sasuke got up and left without so much as a backwards glance at his two team mates.
"So," Naruto started from his position on the ground, "Something happened with the Uchiha clan. I think that it's related to last night when I stole the sealed scroll. It was two anbu who chased after me and they were incredibly hard to derail before Iruka found me." He looked at Sakura's stony face and misinterpreted it as anger. "Please don't be mad that I came back a day early."
Sakura laughed nervously, "Um about that. I'm sorry Naruto, it's my fault." Seeing his confused face she elaborated. "I thought that maybe one of the events that fueled the war was the Uchiha massacre which crippled Konoha and caused both Itachi and Sasuke to leave, so I went back to the day it happened and stopped Danzo from killing Shisui."
"Naruto patted her head, "It's okay Sakura. It seems like you changed just enough. Though Sasuke is still a prat."
Sakura laughed and pulled her best friend off the ground, "Come one help me move my stuff and then we need to talk about tomorrow."
"What are we moving?"
"Everything I own. I can't stand to live with my mother anymore, and honestly this time around I don't think I have that patience."
He looked slightly confused, "Where to?"
"Your place," she said as if it was obvious.
"Whoa, Sakura wait. Think this through, I woke up in my apartment yesterday and it is filthy like a you thirteen year old has been living there." He saw her serious expression as she tugged him through the streets to her childhood house. "At least let me clean it first!"
Sakura laughed she had definitely missed having Naruto around. She was glad to have her best friend back.