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"Hey, Ritsu, can you find something about Sakura-san?" Kurahashi asked. It was the next day, the day after the pinkette came in class. And since the emerald-eyed female wasn't present yet, some of the early birds who were still curious turned to Ritsu for answers. After all, since the virtual female was capable of practically everything, more information could possibly be found on the pinkette.

"Let me check." The female on the screen said. As she processed information, she gasped, lagging slightly. The students came up to her, asking what the problem was.

"I… I can't find anything."

Sakura walked up the hill, annoyed. Her early morning routine already took a fourth of her energy, the time and effort it took to navigate through the forest to get to the classroom was an added energy-eater. Looking at the watch on her wrist, she slowed down her pace. She wasn't late, nor was she early, so she decided to spend a bit of time catching up to everything.

Subject Horibe was coming in today, and while she didn't particularly dislike the male, he was still a bit of a thorn on her side. More so his 'guardian'. Knowing the kid, she knew he would challenge the octopus.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a ring coming from her phone. Fishing her phone out from her pocket, she first read the caller ID before answering the call. "What's up, Shika?"

"Autonomously Thinking Fixed Artillery-san tried to access your file." He drawled out, muttering a 'Troublesome' under his breath.

Sakura nodded, expecting it already. "I knew it would happen. You probably didn't let that happen though, no?" It would raise questions, but she hopes they wouldn't ask her directly.

"Of course, woman."

"As expected. Is that all?"

It was silent for a moment, a buzzing sound heard from the background. "Yeah." Then he ended the call.

Pouting slightly at the abrupt end of the call, she pocketed her phone before seeing the classroom coming to view.

Shikamaru Nara was their tech guy, the smartest person she knows. He hid data so carefully that even the government couldn't access any of their information.

She shook her head slightly, ridding herself of such thoughts. If she lingered on them, she might get home-sick. Time for class.

"I believe Karasuma-sensei told you another transfer student is coming."

"Yeah. Probably another assassin."

"Hey, Ritsu, have you heard anything? You know, as a fellow assassin?"

Glancing at Sakura, Ritsu answered with an affirmative. "Yes, a little." If the class noticed the slight pause, they didn't say anything. And those who were present when Ritsu looked up information on Sakura and found none stayed silent, unsure of what to think of it. "Originally, he and I were supposed to be introduced together. I would handle long-range attacks, and he, close-range combat. Together, we'd drive Korosensei into a corner." Her tone turned into a grim one, "However, those orders were cancelled for two reasons." That captured the whole class' attention, excluding Sakura's.

"Really? What were they?"

"Firstly, his adjustments took longer than expected. And secondly… I lack the capability to provide him support."

Sakura scoffed, disguising it as a cough. Subject Horibe wasn't stable, would never be unless he turns away from the power he wants. He was a lot similar to one of her friends in that aspect. The want for power drove him mad, and he won't be satisfied unless he has proven himself as the strongest. The things attached to him will never stop their constant onslaught on his brain.

"As an assassin, I am overwhelmingly inferior to him." With Ritsu's admittance, the class was shocked. The third transferee might just be successful in his attempt to assassinate their teacher. And somehow, that left a bitter taste on their tongues.

The door slid open, catching all their attention. Sakura felt her eyes narrow as she took in the person. She watched him perform one of his—dumb, her inner coughed-magic tricks, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm not the new student, I'm his guardian."

Sure, Sakura thought, and I'm the fucking queen. She crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the newcomer.

"You can call me "Shiro", meaning "White"."

Looking at their teacher's face, Sakura was amused to find him liquified on a corner of the ceiling, face blank. If Naruto were here, he'd be laughing nonstop. Sakura laughed a little at how their teacher reasoned with them, not believing at how gullible he was about rumors.

Shiro produced something from his sleeve, giving it to Korosensei. "He's a rather unique child, in personality and otherwise." With how the man experimented on the kid, it was to be expected, Sakura thought bitterly, eyeing the small packaged item that was soon revealed to be a snack that was given to the tentacled-creature.

Shiro turned, surveying the class before stopping at Nagisa, then his eyes caught pink and immediately his defense heightened. He stared at Sakura for a while, the class following his gaze to find Sakura glaring at the covered stranger. They were bewildered as to why the pinkette would glare at the older man so fiercely, as if the man had committed a serious crime against her.

"Yes?" Korosensei caught on, questioning the guardian's tense form.

"Oh, just… You've got good kids here." Somehow, the class felt like he was lying. They all glanced back at the pinkette who still remained glaring at the covered man.

"Hm?" Karma addressed Sakura, staring curiously at the female.

"I don't trust him."

The students close to them exchanged glances, overhearing the short conversation.

"I'm sure he'll fit right in. Now, to introduce him—" They all turned to the door as the man faced towards it. "Hey, Itona!" He called out. "Come on in."

As Sakura felt a presence from behind the wall behind her—since she was seated at the back—her attention snapped behind her, head swiveling as she moved her seat, just as the wall burst open to reveal the said male, dry despite the weather outside. She watched as the kid remained nonplussed as he stared ahead and walked to the available sit between Karma and Terasaka, sitting down calmly as if he didn't just come in through the wall.

"I won." He said, "I proved that I'm stronger than that classroom wall."

Sakura wanted to facepalm at his logic. Even Sasuke wasn't that much into his want for power to destroy a wall just to prove his superiority.

"Use the damn door!" Majority of the class chorused, causing Sakura to giggle at their disturbed faces.

"That's all that matters. That's all." He remained impassive, as if he didn't hear the class.

Sakura surveyed the faces around her, amused. Even Korosensei didn't know how to react, his face twisted into some kind of expression that held no exact emotion.

"This is Horibe Itona. Please call him Itona." His white-clad guardian introduced him, unbothered by his entrance.

"Say, Itona-kun, something's been bothering me." Karma began, not seemingly affected by the male's unusual way of arrival, "You came in from outside, right? Empty-handed?" He asked, smiling. "It's raining buckets out there, and yet there's not a drop of it on you."

The thing with Karma Akabane was that he seemed to be in his own world, unaffected by what was going on in this reality. Sakura was impressed by the male's easy-going nature.

Itona finally turned his head to look around the classroom, before standing up and walking towards Karma. "You're probably the strongest—" He cut himself off, his eyes flickering to the head of pink beside the redhead. Sakura stared back at him.

A silent stare-off began between the pinkette and the new arrival. Once again, the class felt at a loss. First was the guardian, and now the new student. It was obvious that the pinkette was more than what she seemed.

Itona looked down at Karma, raising his hand to pat the redhead. Sakura tensed for a moment, before forcing herself to remain seated. There was a small chance of Subject Horibe causing any harm on the students. She was proved correct in her assumptions when Itona spoke. "Don't fret. I have no interest in killing those weaker than me." And as his eyes flicked past Karma's head, he added, "And some people."

The class wasn't sure if the new student was referring to the pinkette who, they sweat-dropped, was suddenly napping, or if he just added it as an afterthought.

"The only ones I do want to kill, are those who could be stronger than me." He walked towards Korosensei. "And in this classroom, Korosensei, that's you." He pointed at the octopus-like teacher. Then he gazed back at the napping pinkette in thought, before shaking his head and turning back to the teacher.

The class didn't miss the way the new student looked at Sakura. The pinkette felt eyes on her, slowly raising her head, she looked around in question, eyebrows raised, before yawning. Shikamaru was rubbing off on her.

She looked harmless, but they knew not to judge a book by its cover. They wanted answers.

Sakura was inwardly panicking despite her lax posture. He was blowing her cover!

"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you strong?" Karma asked, his tone playful but his eyes glinting in a curiously assessing way. The question captured a few students' attention, being close enough to overhear it despite the quiet way it was asked.

Sakura shook her head, "Nah. I don't know what he's talking about. He probably hit his head when he came in." her half-assed rushed response had her dying inside in embarrassment. That was totally a not so smart thing to say.

Karma chuckled. "Really now." He was unsatisfied, and so were the eavesdroppers.

"In terms of strength, we're worlds apart." Korosensei said, smugness apparent in his tone.

"We're closer than you think. After all, we're brothers."

Sakura was annoyed. Subject Horibe was spouting nonsense, probably caused by what Shiro tells him. He may have the same sweet-tooth and taste in raunchy magazines, but that wasn't enough to prove that he and Korosensei were related in any way. Brothers? She scoffed. Being injected with a milder version of what the tentacled teacher had doesn't mean shit.

Now, she watched, distaste shown in her eyes if one were to look closely. She leaned on a wall as they arranged their desks into a ring with both 'brothers' in the middle. Sakura knew this wasn't going to be a fair fight, seeing as Shiro was present. But she also knew they weren't going to succeed in whatever plan they made up.

She frowned as Itona finally showed his—sickening, inhuman—abilities. Despite his expressionless façade, she knew of the inner turmoil he was having, the inner battle he had with the power as it fought with him inside his mind. It was abnormal. He was an unstable experiment. A disaster waiting to happen.

The pinkette closed her eyes, battling with her own mind. She listened as Shiro went on with Korosensei's weaknesses, taking note of each and every one as it was listed. She didn't bother watching the fight, already being able to predict the outcome. When it all became silent, she knew the battle was brought to an end in favor of their teacher.

With a shake of her head, she glanced one last time at the passed-out from of Itona being carried by Shiro. Undoubtedly, they would return to try again soon. Perhaps sooner rather than later, knowing the white-clad man.

As the class collected themselves and began arranging the seats, Sakura couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her lips as their teacher, Korosensei, thought back to the attempt on his life by his self-proclaimed sibling. She giggled at how mortified he was, almost comical at how he expressed himself. The outgoing nature of the students, despite being labeled as trash by those below the hill, was refreshing. The thought of the students' unwavering will to prove themselves made her proud of them, as she had gone through the same backlash they had. A warm feeling bloomed in her chest as she looked at the smiling faces of her classmates.

She smiled despite herself. This is proving to be one of her best missions so far.

"Their plan failed, shishou."

A scoff. "Obviously." A pause. "How are the students?"

"Curious about Korosensei—" An amused huff was heard from the other line as the name was mentioned, "—but he remained silent." Sakura smiled slightly, "Naruto would've loved it here."

"Too bad that knucklehead's too much of an idiot for that mission. Perhaps we could send him as part of the reinforcements when something happens." And as an added afterthought, "Although hopefully nothing does. I'm sure you can handle yourself well enough if ever the time comes."

Sakura hummed. "Actions to take, shishou?"

"None. Remain vigilant, but," the person seemed to be hesitating, "Don't take this too seriously. The kids could handle the octopus, you're just there to watch. Focus on the mission, but don't think that you couldn't enjoy it as well." The call ended.

aaaaaaaaaaaa

Sakura was almost disappointed with how the ball game went.

Basketball was easy, too easy. Even though some of the players in her team were easily distracted and intimidated by the aggressive plays of the others teams, she managed to create a good enough play with her team that got them the winning title.

She smirked as her other female classmates chatted animatedly, congratulating each other with a job well done. Nakamura had her arm slung over Sakura's shoulder, bringing her in a one-arm hug as she complimented her fast thinking that created their play. Sakura shrugged, winking. "Couldn't have done it without you guys. We're a team, after all." She laughed as the females around her cheered. They walked towards where the boys' baseball game was being held.

Sakura whistled as she slowed her pace to walk behind the group. She was slowly bonding with her classmates, and while she wasn't completely comfortable in their company, she was getting there. Surprisingly, she was warming up to her classmates, and even more surprising, her teachers. She was doing average in her classes, just the way she wanted it. She didn't want to shine too early-on.

In her most recent call with her master and original teacher, she was told to "focus on the mission but to enjoy it as well." since age-wise, she was the same age as them, and she deserved some form of childhood and a taste at a normal life that she didn't get to have before.

Sakura didn't bother reasoning with her master—after all, one of their top rules demanded utmost focus and undivided concentration to their missions and to detach themselves emotionally from possible threats—she knew, deep inside her, that she had been longing for moments like this. And even if she was contented with what she had before with her family and friends, this was an adventure she'd been hoping to have. The current setting of her mission may be unconventional in comparison to what was actually normal for junior-high students, but it provided a sort of normalcy and a sense of home to her due to the nature of her work. Killing wasn't something she was afraid of doing. Not anymore. And the task had the mix of something she has never encountered before—the class of supposedly normal kids training to be assassins, and an experiment-gone-wrong in the form of an octopus-like teacher.

She cheered as her class won, despite the cheap and probably illegal tricks they used.

And, she grinned, she couldn't wait to participate in the assassinations.

She caught him before he hit the ground.

Sakura gently placed Nagisa down, helping him up to his feet before turning to their P.E. instructor.

"Karasuma-sensei, that wasn't very nice." She chided playfully. It was P.E. class and they were swinging knives at each other and at their current teacher, with her lazily swatting away and blocking each and every move her mock-opponent threw. Then she felt the small spike of killing-intent, immediately knocking down her opponent just in time to see Nagisa come behind Karasuma, only to be flipped over. Seeing as she had grown rather fond of the small male, she rushed over to catch him before he touched the ground, grunting slightly. Karasuma sure didn't hold back that throw.

She felt her previous opponent staring at her in wonder and surprise, still on the ground. Sakura flashed her, Kayano, a sheepish smile, bowing her head in apology before turning back to Karasuma who began to look Nagisa over as he apologized. "You okay, Nagisa?" Sakura gave the male a once-over, getting a nod in return and a nod of gratitude for catching him.

Karasuma glanced at the pinkette, not missing the way her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Nagisa. Looking behind her, he noticed Kayano on the ground in a daze, probably due to the way Sakura knocked her down. When he was watching them, he noticed how the emerald-eyed female would hold back her slash and stabs, movements slow in a way the obviously hinted to her purposely slowing it down. As far as he had known from watching her during their classes, she wasn't anything special, no eye-catching moves being done while training. He was still unsure of what to think of the pinkette, something at the back of his mind hinting at him that she wasn't normal, but there was no evidence to confirm his suspicions.

Sakura felt her teacher's eyes on her, but she was unbothered. More importantly, she was slightly amazed at how Nagisa was able to come up behind their teacher without being noticed until the last second. If it wasn't for Karasuma's experience and heightened senses, Nagisa could've been successful in his approach. The killer-intent was similar to a certain person she knew, and she didn't know what to think of it.

Just as her mind wandered, her eyes followed her teacher's form as he walked up to their classroom, only stopping to take in a new person. Sakura's mind flashed with warning signs, telling her that the man in front of Karasuma—who introduced himself as Takaoka Akira, their new P.E. instructor to replace their current one—wasn't what he seemed. She spent enough time with a certain male to know that Takaoka's jovial expression was false. His whole person right then and there radiated fakeness.

She quietly left as the new teacher came down, pulling out her phone to dial a friend she knew would have information on the man's character. "Hello? Shikamaru? Tell me something about Takaoka Akira."

As the male on the other line listed everything on the suspicious male's profile, every attribute and past incidents involving the male, Sakura felt herself tremble in suppressed anger, disgusted at what she was hearing.

She needed a walk to ease her mind before she could do anything that might blow her cover. Her short-temper and violent tendencies could make her do something she might regret. She breathed deeply, her murderous intent spiking up sharply before easing down.

But a walk didn't seem to be enough to calm her still-shaking hands. And so, she climbed up a tree, and began jumping from one branch to another.

End.

So, um, I kind of received some messages saying that my lack of authors' notes on my works are unnerving, that it makes me look unapproachable. I just want to let you guys know that I am very much happy with your reviews (I even re-read them since it doesn't fail to bring a smile to my face seeing as some were excited for updates to the point I could feel their excitement through the words they type), and that I am open to requests. I am just kind of… shy to add comments after every chapter.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are much appreciated.