Sakura has been staying in Konoha for the past six weeks. The Sandaime met her as soon as Naruto brought her to the village gates and Izumo and Kotetsu wouldn't let them through. She and the Sandaime had a private talk and it was decided Sakura would stay with the Haruno family(one of his close friends lived there) for the time being.
After some quick studying and training with Naruto, Naruto begged the Hokage to let Sakura in the academy. Sakura pleaded along side him. The Hokage considered it.
And after some discussion and arguments with the council, it was unanimous. She was aloud.
- - -
"Naruto! Wait up!" Sakura panted as the classroom ran three miles the forth day in a row. Usually she could only do one, or not even. This was ridiculous.
"No way!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba were running toe to toe up in front. She frowned at their stupidity and compared them to Yukko and Akito(the jocks from CH.1). She stopped to catch her breathe and someone bumped into her.
"Watch it, forehead! Jeez, I don't know why they let you in the academy, no talent loser," It was Ino. She had been mean to her on the first day when Naruto somehow got the cutest boy in class(Sasuke) to talk to her.
All he said was 'Hello,' and many whatever's, aa's, and hn's. So she has no idea why they hate her so much.
The girl's and Ino started up again, running past her in a hurry.
Sakura followed with a sigh. Naruto popped up from behind her in a burst of speed and laughed.
"Hurry up, Saku," He chuckled making a nickname, "I'm already done! But, of course, Sasuke had to beat me." A frown was placed on his face.
"Oh! Don't mind him, Naruto!" Sakura grinned and sped up and went around once again.
-
After the classes were over, Sakura always stayed from cram sessions with Iruka.
"And so you have the hand signs remembered?" He asked, as he assigned it as homework last week.
"Yup!" Sakura nodded her head vigorously.
"Alright now, try to use this combination," He said, showing them with his own hands. "What jutsu?"
"Um," 'Tiger-Boar-Ox-Dog' She repeated in her head, then it clicked, " Clone Technique!"
"Good. And how about Tiger Boar Ox Dog Serpent?"
"Substitution Jutsu."
"Good, now can you perform one of them?"
"Uh, sure." Sakura smiled sheepishly. She had not practiced that much yet. She made the hand signs and called out, "Clone Jutsu!"
After a puff of smoke, Sakura gasped. Two perfect clones were resulted. Well, not perfect, the color was too bland and the hair looked almost purple. She just thought they were perfect.
"Great! You may go now, it seems you might make it to be able to talk the next test."
"The next test?"
"To become a genin, it is next Friday. Practice the Substitution, Transformation, and Clone a bit more."
"Okay!" Sakura smiled and ran out of the classroom and to her house.
-
After a week of survival tests and cramming the kunoichi classes she skipped, the test was finally here and she was prepared.
"All right class, line up." Iruka called, "In whatever order, but we will be calling alphabetically."
Sakura and Naruto stood next to each other as Iruka called Shino out of the room.
"I hope we make it!" Naruto smiled widely.
"Me too-"
"Forehead is not going to!" Ino poked into their conversation.
"To butt your ugly pig head into this, Ino," Sakura frowned. "I have equal standing in this classroom!"
As the names were being called, a little group formed around Sakura and Ino. They were arguing and it was about to be a cat fight as all the boys were hoping, but Iruka came into the room, wondering why no one was coming.
"Sakura, Ino calm down! Sakura, it's your turn."
"Oh! Okay," Sakura stuck her tongue out at Ino as she followed Iruka to the class room. Ino looked fuming.
Once inside, the big empty room Sakura was told to do the Clone Jutsu. She blinked. That was the one she least practiced on.
'Crap…'
"Um, Clone Jutsu!" She called, doing the proper hand signs. After a small puff of smoke disappeared, they saw three perfect clones of Sakura.
"Very good." Iruka handed her a headband. Sakura smiled and swept her hair back in relief. Mizuki, who she always thought was creepy, smiled back as she passed him. She stepped out of the room and went back to the classroom.
-
"Congratulations," Her 'mother' said with a deep smile. They had gotten close as the weeks went by, but Sakura still found it uncomfortable to call her mom, and Chinatsu was fine with that. Chinatsu and Hiroto were anbu and the Haruno family who were happy to take her in.
Hiroto was off on a mission at the time, so he could not come to Sakura's graduation, but Sakura was glad someone could come.
Sakura hadn't seen Naruto since he took the test as he didn't come back into the classroom. Everyone thought the worse, and it seemed true.
Naruto sat alone on the swing in the back corner of the schoolyard. Sakura looked at Chinatsu and asked if she could go talk to Naruto. Chinatsu looked wary, but nodded nonetheless.
Sakura began walking to Naruto as Mizuki was talking to him. Naruto seemed very interested ans Sakura didn't wasn't to interrupt she waited out of hearing range to go talk to him, but as soon as Mizuki left Naruto jumped up and ran from the school.
Chinatsu watched with interest as Sakura moped.
-
Sakura stared out the window as the moon glowed, watching silhouettes of ninja flitter here and there. They were looking for Naruto.
He supposedly stole a forbidden scroll from the Hokage. If it was so forbidden, why wasn't it guarded more heavily, she huffed in thought. 'Naruto didn't steal anything, it was all Mizuki's fault if anything!'
"Hey, Sakura!" A voiced from below her window called her. She peered over the flower sill and smiled seeing Naruto.
Then, she saw the scroll.
"You really stole it!?" Sakura harshly whispered, just in case her mom came home early from the search. She volunteered to help look, so she told Sakura to keep a look out around the house.
"Yep! Come on, let's looked in it!" He said and jumped up into her room. Looking around the bare room, he grinned, "Although, I have to get to Mizuki soon. He's going to make me a genin once I give him the scroll."
"…Naruto! Don't be an idiot! Mizuki is probably using you!" Sakura ground out. She face-palmed and grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's return the scroll and beg for your forgiveness."
"What!?"
"You heard me!" Sakura smiled and brought him downstairs so she could get her shoes and they could go.
-
They were taking a 'shortcut' as Naruto called it. Then, he got 'tired'. So he sat down. Then, after a few minutes he had to go to the bathroom and ran to the bushes.
After a half hour Sakura ran after him to see what took him so long. Surrounding him, were ten clones.
"N-Naruto! If you could do this good of a Clone Jutsu, then why didn't you pass?""Well, um... You see… I kind of… peeked-in-the-scroll! It's called Shadow Clone Jutsu. Watch!" He picked up one and it punched him in the nose. "Hey!"
"Don't pick me up!" "You!" "I'm gonna get you!" "Imma firin' mah lazah!" "Wut!?" "Stop!"
Sakura watched dumbfounded as all the clones started fighting and actually were hitting each other. Then, after Naruto hit them, they 'poof'ed to non-existence.
"There you are!" Iruka's voice sounded out. "Sakura? Your in on this?"
"No! I mean, I was trying to get him to bring it back! And… yeah."
"Sakura~! Wasn't that awesome!?" Naruto said in a sing-song voice, completely ignoring Iruka and the pain of the bruises.
"Sure," Sakura replied flat-toned.
"Hm, Naruto what were you thinking?" Iruka looked relevantly calm.
"Training! Master Mizuki said once I learn these I can graduate!" Naruto smiled, looking around. "But, I don't know where he is…"
A swish of air and Naruto was pushed towards Sakura. She caught him and watched in horror as the kunai surrounded him, holding him to a tree where Naruto was standing seconds before.
Sakura pushed Naruto away from herself, running to Iruka when Mizuki appeared and started talking.
"Give me the scroll Naruto," He ordered, but kept his eyes on Sakura incase she would run.
"What… What is this!?" Naruto asked looking pale and panicked.
"Naruto, don't listen to the creep!" Sakura yelled, pulling a kunai out that was pinning Iruka's arm. She watched so many movies on this, that she knew to be ready for anything.
What she wasn't ready for was Mizuki laughing.
"Sakura, you're Naruto's friend, right? But do you know what he is?"
"…What he is?" Sakura and Naruto looked at each other, equally confused.
"Mizuki. Don't!" Iruka's voiced filled in the small silence, but Naruto and Sakura wanted to know.
Sakura looked at her hands and started thinking of everything she learned of ninja from her world and in the academy text.
"You both do know what happened twelve years ago?"
"Yeah, I was born," Sakura made a sneer reply, but continued with a nod as did Naruto.
"…Ever since that incident, the village has been bound by a decree. A decree that no one must tell you," All eyes were on Naruto. "That what you really are… is the Demon Fox."
It was silent.
"What?" Naruto's meek voice carried out into the night.
"Stop it, Mizuki!" Iruka yelled.
Sakura stared at Naruto, blank eyes.
Naruto grabbed his head and bent over, crying.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Mizuki whipped out a shadow shuriken and started whirling it around his hand. He left it go, flying towards Naruto.
At the last second, Iruka covered him. Blood speckled everywhere. Sakura stood there shocked as she watched Naruto stare up at Iruka, talk, then run.
-
Sakura opened her eyes to see Naruto looking cool. She was draped over Iruka's back. She closed her eye's as she heard him call Shadow Clone Jutsu.
When she opened them, there had to be hundred's of Naruto's kicking Mizuki's butt.
The sun appeared in the horizon and Iruka promoted Naruto. But Sakura had problems of her own.
Did she faint? Why did she faint? Blood? Or just the general area of the fight?
She grabbed her head, feeling a headache coming on.