Alright, after everyone's differing opinions, and a stubborn lecture from my sister, I decided to keep the teams cannon. Except that Obito is Team Seven's sensei, not Kakashi. Mostly because I think that Minato knows that he'd be a rubbish teacher. So, cannon except for Obito it is then.

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, and disclaimer that I don't own Naruto stuff. Except the DVD's I bought, and the magnets on my fridge. And if I have anything else, I forget right now. :P

Chapter Three

Three years later…

Today was graduation day. Sakura stood in front of her mirror in her bedroom, frowning at herself. It was sure to be different from her last graduation day, for a number of reasons. For one, Naruto had actually received his hitai-ate the previous day. Of course, being the Hokage's son, she doubted that he would have been denied it anyway. But Naruto had sensei's who actually gave a damn about his education this time round, not only having to rely solely on Iruka-sensei.

Another difference was that Sakura was graduating on more than just her chakra control and the strength of her grades. She and Ino had put in a lot of hard work over the past few years, and now Sakura was far better with her taijutsu and ninjutsu than before. She wasn't the best in the class with them, of course, but it was a vast improvement on before. Also, her chakra reserves were up to where they had been back when she'd taken her successful chuunin exam.

She'd tried to recreate her seal as well, and after several failures due to her lack of chakra, she'd finally succeeded. It was hidden, though, as her shishou had told her that it was invisible until the first time it was used. Which of course explained why it only turned up that other time after she'd used it in the war. Currently, she had just under fifteen months worth stored up in the seal, hidden nicely away from prying eyes.

There were a few worrying issues that she had as well. Would she still get the same team as before? Sakura had befriended Naruto properly a few weeks after arriving in her nine year old self, and she knew through him that Kakashi hadn't taken those students that he'd failed before taking on Team Seven. She knew that the Sandaime had made him take students after retiring him from ANBU, but from what she'd gleaned from Naruto, her old sensei hadn't spent as long in ANBU this time round as he had before.

Sakura eyed herself in the mirror critically. What she was wearing now was far more practical for a ninja than what she'd worn the first time round. It was similar to what she'd started wearing shortly after Naruto'd gone off with Jiraiya. The only differences were that she wasn't wearing gloves, and she'd replaced the medic-nin apron with a deceptively simple skirt that held hidden compartments.

Her hair was shorter, too, just an inch longer than where she'd had it before.

Sighing, Sakura decided that it was time. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, which was how she wore it these days, and tied her hitai-ate into the position she'd always had it. It felt so good to feel the weight of it there once more. After double checking she had everything she needed, Sakura nodded to herself and headed downstairs.

"Sakura-chan!" Haruno Mebuki greeted her daughter as she stepped into the kitchen. "Oh, you're going to find out who your team and sensei are today, aren't you?"

Sakura smiled as she sat down and started in on the traditional breakfast, which today was steamed rice, grilled chicken, miso soup, a kobachi of tuna and avocado, and some natto. "Yup," she said after swallowing her first mouthful. "We'll be assigned the teams first, then our sensei's will come meet us after lunch."

"Will you be stopping in for lunch?" her mother asked. "I know the food stalls are closer to the Academy than home, though."

"I'll probably stop in at a stall," Sakura said. "Don't worry, I won't have anything too unhealthy."

Once breakfast was done, Sakura farewelled her parents and headed off, taking the path that would lead her past the Yamanaka flower shop. She and Ino had agreed to walk to the Academy together today, as they usually did anyway, and Sakura was due there in about ten minutes. As she strolled, Sakura's mind went over the last three years.

The Yondaime had changed the program at the Academy quite a lot, a change that Sakura thought was for the better. The final graduation test was no longer just a clone jutsu (seriously, who thought it was a good idea to graduate students based solely on that?) and was instead a combination of a written and practical exam. Naturally, Sakura had breezed through the written, and she felt inordinately pleased with herself on how well she'd done in the practical.

Sakura's extra training with Ino had been noticed by a few people, such as Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Hinata. They hadn't asked to join in or anything, but she'd noticed them training that extra bit themselves as well. Hinata actually had joined them a few times, but mostly stuck with training in her clan compound. The boys had made faces, though, when they realised how much extracurricular studying they were doing. Kiba had called them nerds, right before Ino'd punched him in the nose.

Grinning happily at the memory, Sakura realised that she'd reached the flower shop. Ino was leaning against the door, smirking at her.

"Daydreaming, Sakura?" she asked playfully.

"Just thinking about that time you punched Kiba in the face," Sakura said sweetly. "Ready to go?"

Ino nodded, poked her head in the shop and yelled, "Bye, mum!" then the two headed off.

"So, who do you think will be on your team?" Sakura asked.

"Well, obviously I want to be on Sasuke-kun's team," Ino declared. "But dad reminded me last night that I'll probably end up on Shikamaru and Chouji's team."

"Really?" Sakura asked, trying to think if Inoichi had said that to his daughter the last time, coming up blank. "Why's that?"

Ino sighed. "It's because of the fact that he was on a team with those two idiot's fathers," she said. "It's traditional, he told me, so I've been a bit depressed since then."

"Well, with any luck, Sasuke will be on my team, and you can come visit any time you want," Sakura said, crossing her fingers behind her back, just in case.

"On your team?" Ino spoke, aghast.

"Better mine than some fan-girl, right?" Sakura told her.

"Better Hinata," Ino said. "Because at least there, I know she won't be tempted, because that girl just cannot keep her eyes off of Naruto!"

"There's no way the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans would allow their members to be on the same gennin teams," Sakura scoffed. "Be realistic, Ino."

Ino sighed. "You're probably right," she conceded.

Truth was, Sakura had no idea how the teams would go. Ino was probably right with the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho team, but the rest? Well, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba with Akamaru might end up the same. But Sakura herself? Quite frankly, she thought it was pure luck that she got onto Team Seven the first time round as it was, but now? The worry she'd had earlier crept up on her once more, distracting her from Ino's babbling at her side.

"Sakura-chan! Ino-chan!"

A loud voice cut through her worries, and she and Ino looked over to see Naruto hurtling towards them. "Hey, are you two excited to see what our teams are?" he asked as he caught Sakura in a bear hug.

Naruto still had a crush on her, unfortunately. Sakura had already told him that she was only interested in being his friend, and he seemed to accept it. "Naruto, stop being such a pain, or I'll break your nose like I did Kiba's!" Ino yelled as Naruto hugged her as well.

"What?" he asked almost petulantly. "I'm just excited! Dad refused to tell me who my sensei will be, but I think I already know, so I kinda have an idea who might be one of my team mates. The other person… I'm not too sure."

"What?" Ino gasped. "Who's your sensei gonna be?"

"Obito-oji," Naruto said. "I'm sure of it!"

Sakura's heart faltered a bit. "Really?" she asked. "How can you be sure?"

"Because there aren't many people that dad would trust me with," he said matter-of-factly. "And he used to be my dad's student, so…"

"Well then, who do you think will be your team mate?" Ino asked. "My dad told me that I'll probably end up with Shikamaru and Chouji."

"You probably will," Naruto agreed. "In fact, I can almost guarantee it."

Ino groaned melodramatically as Naruto continued, "Sasuke's gonna be my team mate, because his clan want Obito-oji looking after him."

They reached the Academy, going in together with Naruto breaking off to sit with Kiba, which had him also sitting with Sasuke. A month or so before Sakura'd come back, Sasuke had apparently struck a deal with those two to sit near him to keep the fan-girls away. That was another new thing, as the one from the other time-line hadn't cared who sat where, which of course had him sitting next to annoying, giggling girls every now and then, herself included.

Sakura sat with Ino next to Shikamaru, and waited for Iruka-sensei to arrive. She was incredibly nervous about the team placements, wondering what was going to happen. Would she still end up with Naruto and Sasuke? Or was she going to have to get used to a new squad? Her nerves had her tapping the desk loudly enough for Ino to give her 'looks' until Iruka-sensei started reading out the teams.

"Alright, now on to Team Seven," he said after assigning the first six teams. "That will be Namikaze Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

Naruto cheered at the fact that Sakura would be on his team, but the kunoichi in question was just so relieved that she didn't pay any attention to him.

"Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata," Iruka-sensei continued. "Team Nine will be…"

Nothing really changed, Team Nine was the same, and Ino got the same Team Ten as before. Once the lunch bell rang, they all headed outdoors.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto said, racing up to her once they were outside. "You wanna come get lunch with me? I mean, we're gonna be on the same team and all, so maybe we should use this time to get better acquainted."

"We're already acquainted, Naruto," Sakura told him. "You're like one of my best friends."

"Like?" Naruto pouted.

"You're not stealing the title from Ino, no matter what," she told him sternly, then sighed. "Alright, fine, but go find Sasuke and get him to join us, since you want a team lunch so much."

Naruto groaned. "Fine!" he grumbled, then vanished, only to reappear a few minutes later, dragging Sasuke by his sleeve.

"What the hell, Naruto!?" Sasuke was grumbling at him.

"We're having lunch with Sakura-chan as a team," Naruto told him. "End of discussion!"

Sakura giggled at them, then said, "Come on, I know a great little tempura restaurant not far from here."

OoOoO

After a rather eventful lunch, during which Naruto complained about the vegetables, never mind that they were deep fried, they headed back to the Academy to meet their new sensei. Sakura had rather enjoyed eating with the two boys, liking how much more open and honest Sasuke was, even though he was still an Uchiha to his core. He still hn-ed annoyingly, but at least he properly answered direct questions when necessary.

She knew he and Naruto got along quite well, though to call them best friends would be pushing it. Kiba would be closer to being Naruto's best friend. Still, that rapport that the two had had in her previous time-line right before she'd come back seemed to still be there, though only in small amounts. Maybe they would actually end up there again anyway?

Sakura sat next to her two new team mates, watching as each team's sensei came to collect them, noting that Team Ten and Eight had the same sensei's as before. It was rather eerie how it had turned out the same… Finally, Uchiha Obito did indeed walk in the door, much, much earlier than Kakashi had that first time, and Naruto jumped up, cheering.

"I knew it!" he yelled. "I knew you would be our sensei, Obito-oji!"

"It's Obito-sensei to you now, kiddo," Obito said. "Come on, you three, let's go talk about what we're gonna do elsewhere."

He lead them around the back of the Academy, to a small garden that Sakura had never really paid much attention to before. It was rather nice, but beside the point. Obito sat them all down, then stood opposite them.

"Alright," he said. "The three of you rookies are going to be a team, so to start off with, how about you introduce yourself to me?"

"But I already know you, Obito-oji… uh… I mean, sensei," Naruto pointed out. "And you definitely already know Sasuke as well."

"That's beside the point," Obito said. "You're a new team, and I'm your sensei, we'll be starting off on the foot I decide on."

"Just do it, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Don't be such a baka."

"Fine!" Naruto huffed. "Er… How should I do it?"

"Just tell me what you like and don't like," Obito suggested. "Maybe what your career goals as a ninja are."

"Uh okay then," Naruto mused. "I'm Namikaze Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen that they sell at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My goals? Umm… To be the strongest ninja in all the ninja villages, and maybe, maybe, be Hokage like my dad. But only if I can hire someone to do all my paperwork for me!"

Sakura groaned, Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Obito chuckled. "Alright then, Sasuke, your turn."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," the gennin in question said. "I like training with my aniki, tomatoes, and good home cooking. And my dislikes are idiots, sweets, and going to ramen stands."

"Nooo!" Naruto cried. "Ichiraku ramen is the best place for a quality meal!"

Sakura giggled as Sasuke smirked and continued, "My goal for my shinobi career is to one day end up an ANBU Captain."

"Sakura's turn!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura punched him lightly in the arm, then said, "I'm Haruno Sakura. I like reading, trivia games, sweets, and studying. I don't like spicy food, and have little patience for time wasters. My career goals… hmm… Well, after coming across a book about her in the library a few years ago, I decided that I'm going to be a medical ninja that surpasses the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime!"

"Tsunade-sama, huh?" Obito spoke, eyeing her curiously. "That's quite a goal you've set for yourself."

"I've already studied up on some of her other techniques too," Sakura said. "Ino and I have been doing some volunteering at the hospital, with Iruka-sensei's written consent, and we can both heal minor wounds now."

"Very interesting," Obito noted.

"What about you, sensei?" Sakura asked. "Are you gonna introduce yourself as well?"

"Oh, well, alright, I suppose," he mused thoughtfully. "I'm Uchiha Obito. I enjoy noh theatre, I appreciate a good prank, as long as no one is seriously hurt. I don't like traitors or boiled eggs, and I've pretty much done what I set out to do as a ninja when I was a kid, so now I'm trying new things. Like being sensei to you three.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, time for our first official training session as a team. Tomorrow, I want the three of you to meet me at training ground four for a training exercise. Make sure you have a good dinner, because I want you to skip breakfast in the morning."

"Why?" Naruto complained, obviously not wanting to miss out on an opportunity for ramen.

"Because I said so," Obito said. "Your father already knows not to let you near any food, so no trying to sneak anything, you got that?"

"What is the purpose of the exercise tomorrow?" Sasuke asked even as Naruto looked like he was about to pass out.

"To make sure that you can actually cut it as a gennin," Obito said. "If you don't pass tomorrow, you'll go back to the Academy to study for another year."

"What?!" Naruto yelped, flaring back to life. "No fair! I can't go back to the Academy, I just graduated!"

"Well, then, I suggest you pass tomorrow's test," Obito said. "Alright, the three of you are dismissed! And remember, training ground four, five a.m. sharp!"

He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three of them behind.

"What kind of exercise do you think it will be?" Sakura asked.

"Probably something to build on our team work," Sasuke said, surprising her as she stared at him. "What? It's not too difficult to figure out. Especially since my brother's been harping on at me about team work lately."

Suddenly Naruto gasped. "The bell test!" he exclaimed. "My dad told me once, years ago, about the test his sensei gave him and his team, waaay back! You're right, bastard, it's a team building exercise!"

"Well, don't leave us in the dark!" Sakura said. "Tell us about it!"

"I will," Naruto said, then grinned evilly. "Over Ichiraku Ramen for dinner tonight."

Sasuke's eye twitched as Sakura burst out laughing.

OoOoO

Obito stood outside the Hokage office, waiting to brief Minato-sensei on his new team. The other sensei's had already given their reports, though Asuma was in there right now about his team. He sighed as he thought on the three gennin he'd been assigned. Naruto was going to be interesting to watch, what with his mother's personality and basic skills. Being Hokage didn't really give Minato-sensei that much time to train his son, so Kushina-san had handled that. Though he fully intended to have his son sign the toad summon contract as soon as he could.

Sasuke was also going to be interesting, though in a different way. He was so much like his father in personality, though hopefully the harshness Fugaku-sama sometimes displayed would be balanced out a bit by Mikoto-oba's personality. Fugaku had personally come to the Hokage's office to make sure that his second son was put with a sensei that he approved of. Obito sighed and really hoped that the three of them would pass tomorrow, otherwise he'd never hear the end of it from his clan head.

Sakura on the other hand… Obito still had no idea what her relationship to the woman who'd saved his life all those years ago was. He, Minato-sensei, and Kakashi had all shared theories over the years, though there was nothing they could definitely pin down. The fact that Sakura was interested in medical ninjutsu, and had already started training in it….

Obito pushed that thought aside as Asuma came out of the room.

"Hey, Obito," the Sandaime's only remaining son greeted him. "You can go straight in, he's waiting for you. Oh, and apparently we're all still on for tonight at the shinobi bar."

"Right, see you there," Obito said, then went in.

"Ah, Obito," Minato-sensei greeted him. "How did it go?"

"As expected with Naruto and Sasuke," Obito said. "Their dynamic is going to make for an excellent team."

"And Sakura?"

"She'll fit in nicely," Obito said carefully, "especially since she's already studying medical ninjutsu."

Minato-sensei's brow rose at that. "Really?" he asked. "How proficient is she at it?"

"She claims to be able to heal minor wounds," Obito said. "She and a friend of hers have apparently been learning by volunteering at the hospital."

Minato-sensei looked thoughtful. "Could it really be possible?" he wondered. "Could she really be the same person?"

"If your time travelling theory is correct," Obito said. "No matter how impossible."

"More like improbable," his Hokage murmured. "Still, you should keep a close eye on her. If it turns out that it really is her... Well then, she'll end up having a lot of explaining to do."

Obito nodded, Minato-sensei dismissed him, and he took off back to the Uchiha compound to get ready for that night and prepare for tomorrow's test.

So what did you think? Not sure if I should detail the bell test too much, I really, really suck at fight scenes, after all. Maybe yes, maybe no, we'll see.

Review please!

Hitai-ate: The forehead protector.

Kobachi: A small bowl.

Natto: Fermented soy beans that's sometimes had with breakfast.

Oji: Uncle.

Tempura: A Japanese dish of fish, shellfish, or vegetables, fried in batter.

Baka: Idiot.

Noh: Japanese masked theatre.

Oba: Aunt.