Author's Note: I updated in March like I was supposed to. Good. On another note, I would like to thank the favorites and follows despite the few reviews. As long as there are readers, I have to keep writing so, I am really grateful for the support. I would like to apologize since humor seem to have left me after the first chapter because, I noticed the big difference in the writing. I'm doing my best to get back on that track. Anyways, without further ado, here's Chapter 4.

Visions/Voices

Flashback

Emphasis

Chapter IV – Three Strikes makes an Out.

Okay, so that didn't went well for our little pink-haired teen. Just when she was able to take a hold of a smudge of bravery by trying to rebel against her foster mother, Sakura only managed to embarrass herself in front of the very people she didn't want to have any connections with.

'Real smooth, Sakura.'

Sakura could only adjust her bag and grip the sling tightly, anticipating the madness that she was sure to experience soon. She was already near the dorm.

Well, the day couldn't get worse for the girl, could it?

"After, you," Speak of the devil, here's one of the people who could cause her more misery, a brown-haired boy, who she vaguely remembered as the owner of that gigantic dog. Is that size even normal for a dog? She's heard of St. Bernard breeds but, that size was just ridiculous.

"Um…thank you? Um…?"

"Geez. If you're going to be the dorm manager, at least remember our names."

Strike 1.

In a split second after that statement, a sudden switch coming from her inner mind turned. Sakura quickly grabbed the guy's collar in fury, "You know what, Inuzuka-san? Why don't you-"and threw him towards the newly fixed main door of the dorm, forcing it open as he flew in.

"…Go in first?!" Poor door.

Breathing in and out, Sakura clenched her fist, ready to give him more a piece of her mind, when she was about to walk to her doom.

"Fire in the hole, un!"

SPLAT!

And those were the last things she heard before she was covered in rotten milk with a horrid smell.

Apparently, the day could get worse.

Strike 2.

Slouching to look down and face the ground, no one could tell what kind of expression was on Sakura's face right now. She was silent at the moment. And while silent, an argument can be heard from the background.

"Ahahahaha! See that, danna? Told you, art is a bang, un!"

"That was unnecessarily messy and I had to wait too long. It wasn't even worth my time."

"But, danna! How could that not be worth your time, un?!"

"That was no art. I told you, Art is eternal and not fleeting."

However, before they could continue their argument any longer, both of them turned their heads when a cracking sound caught their attention.

Staring back at them was a pair of menacing eyes coupled with a hovering door up in the air. As puny as Sakura was, she still managed to forcefully remove the door from its hinges and lift it up above their heads. Poor door.

It died. AGAIN.

"You guys are so dead."

"Hey, you," Sakura turned her head to the source of the voice, only to see the same pale-looking pair of eyes of her good friend, Hinata. She wondered for a brief moment if they were relatives, before going back to her hell hath no fury mode.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Despite being the same eyes, she could tell that he wasn't as friendly as her friend. What pisses her off more though was that she was being looked down on figuratively and literally. He was up on the large interior balcony after all.

"You're not wanted here."

Those words made the pink-haired falter, causing her to lose her grip on the door.

"My thoughts exactly," Beside the pale-eyed guy was an older dark-haired guy, who resembled another person this time, in which said person was one of the people who saw her embarrassing failed attempt in the principal's office. Except this guy had stress lines.

'These people…' Sakura puts down the door, 'are the worst!'

"So, is ugly going to give up and cry now or do I get to observe more of your display of emotions? It's rather interesting really," This time the voice came from behind her near her right ear.

Due to the sudden voice, after she was sneaked upon, the girl reflexively moved her arm to elbow the person behind her almost giving a death blow, but, was quickly stopped by a hand. The same hand that stopped Sakura's next combo which was her fist of the same arm that tried to elbow him by grabbing her wrist.

It was quite strange at how this guy was smiling at her yet, he doesn't even mean it. Is he mocking her?! Sakura's temper flared up even more. No one managed to stop her strength before.

"Sai-san. Let go of my wrist."

Sadly, he wasn't letting it go anytime sooner.

"He's not going to let go not until we discuss further of your appointment as our dorm manager," It was the guy with multiple piercings from the office.

Okay, this Sakura will try to be civilized and not tear off doors from hinges like normal girls do. With a huff, she held in her anger once again, "Pein-san."

Hearing footsteps, Sakura looked around to see everyone together in the same room, feeling a lot of eyes on her. In effect, she didn't have to hold in her anger anymore because, it melted into nothing and was replaced by anxiety by the number of people giving her distrusting looks.

'Just great. I can handle a few, but all of them here together?'

As much as she wanted to back out, her academics were at stake here so she steeled herself and dismissed her nerve-wracking thoughts before continuing on addressing the man in piercings.

"Seeing as you are the leader of this group…" She took a deep breath, "From what I learned during introductions yesterday, couldn't you at least control your members?"

"I mean…I'm dripping wet with rotten milk."

The orange-haired leader only sipped his cup of tea in response.

"Well?"

"It is not my responsibility anymore of what my members do as long as you hold the title as dorm manager," He gave her a stone cold look, "Since you are the dorm manager, you hold the control."

"If you can't handle such responsibility, then, you are not fit to be a dorm manager," Pein took another sip.

"However, by the way you made a ruckus yesterday of having a….cleaning spree without taking consideration of others' privacies. I will never acknowledge you as dorm manager."

The blond boy full of sunshine was about to go in defense for her, when she had enough of civil. Sakura removed her wrist from Sai's grip and took apart the doorknob from the door, throwing the door knob closely at Pein's face and through the sofa. She made a hole on the headrest and a dent on a wall. AND massacred the door even more.

She really doesn't know how to control, does she?

"You ungrateful little shits! I cleaned the whole house to make you guys live comfortably and this is what I fucking get?!"

"Who told you I wanted to be a dorm manager in the first place?"

"And I'M the one who gets to decide if I'm fit or not!"

"And NO ONE's giving up anything! I'm not giving up and I'll take all of you guys on!"

"Give it your best shot! SHANNARO!"

Removing his pinky from his ears, Shikamaru uttered his catchphrase of 'Troublesome', before he sighs, "So what you're saying is…"

"A bet," a man in a mask that covered half his face interrupted the pineapple-headed genius.

"Oh? The little shrimp wants to make a bet?"

"Such an interesting proposition, don't you think Kisame-senpai?"

Putting down the cup, Pein calmly stood up and walked in the middle of the room near Sakura, "Alright, we accept that bet."

Sakura blinked her pair of green-colored eyes and was only able to muster a "Huh?" She was too dumbfounded by the sudden conclusion of the conversation.

Wait a minute. Was she just manipulated?

"If by the end of the month, you fail to get everyone's approval as dorm manager. You will leave the F-class Dorm and tell Tsunade-sama yourself that you are to be dismissed as dorm manager and be expelled from school with us making your life a living hell outside the school as a bonus."

Come to think of it. It was odd for Sakura of how everyone is together in the same place at the same time.

"If you win, we will accept you as dorm manager and help your goal of raising the dorm's average grade."

At the sudden realization, her eyes opened wide as she darted around to look at the expression on their faces. Each sporting a playful glint on their eyes with an exception of the blond, Naruto. He had a clueless idiotic look on his face. He wasn't told of anything about a bet.

"Hahaha! Look at the fucking bitch! You only realize this now?"

"Hidan, you idiot, keep quiet."

"You can't tell me what I can fucking do, damn Kakuzu!"

"Do you want me to stitch that potty mouth of yours?"

"Tsk."

Finally, Sakura finished processing, "Um, w-well!"

"Hmm, I wonder what happened to that burning spirit of yours awhile ago, ugly?" Sai did it again. He sneaked near her ear. This time on her left.

Again, by reflex, Sakura reacted and flipped him by grabbing his collar, "Stop creeping on me like that!"

"Hmph, I'll do it! I'll even make you all say that I'm a great dorm manager!"

"SHANNARO!"

What has she done? She just made everything worse!

Sakura was completely manipulated into it, 'I wonder who the mastermind was that created the scenario.'

Even though Pein was the leader, she was so sure that he wasn't the one who planned it. From what the she could analyze, that dog boy was not part of the equation or at least the part where she threw him was an unexpected variable. Another thing that she was sure of was that Tsunade-sama was right. Naruto was truly an ally. He had no idea about the planned manipulation that lead to the creation of the bet.

'Hmm, if things weren't how it should be…' Sakura took a glance at the list of items on the paper on her hand while walking, 'Then, this task of making me go on a grocery shopping for dinner is just a disguise for something else.'

'Just what are they planning?' She tried wracking her brains out to figure on what they were intending to do when she was asked to do the grocery shopping for dinner since she was supposedly the dorm manager, but, nothing came to mind.

Sakura sighed, 'Might as well get this over with. Whatever this is, bring it!'

Making her way to a corner, she decided to go for a shortcut through the park to quickly make her way to the grocery store. Taking a glimpse of the paper on her hand, she checked the list again. Maybe the clue was in there?

Tomatoes, instant ramen, miso powder, milk, firecrackers and explosives, a butcher's knife, bacon, chicken…

'Wait what…?' Sakura backtracked on the list, 'Who the hell wants firecrackers and explosives for dinner?!'

Passing by the pond in the park, Sakura was too distracted with the strange list to even notice a metal wire swiftly wrapping around her ankle.

And with one tug…

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

SPLASH!

Strike 3.

First, she was insulted of her capabilities. Second, she was horribly pranked with rotten milk and manipulated into a bet. Third, she was tripped into the pond. And this is all in one day!

Sakura could feel her tears brimming on her eyes out of anger and frustration, ready to pour down, but, no. She refuses to cry right now. She would never give those bastards the satisfaction of her tears.

Lifting herself up from the pond, the pink-haired… well, it was a bit darker and dirtier beyond its recognizable color so we wouldn't call it exactly pink. Let's just scratch that and say that Sakura had removed herself from the pond, twisted her hair and parts of her clothes to make them as dry as she could.

She looked at the crumpled and soaked paper on her hand. The handwritten list of items can't be identified anymore. Well, as if she needed them in the first place.

'Screw the fucking list!' With a huff, she threw the paper away, 'Those bastards better have money…' and glared at the nearby payphone, 'I'm ordering them expensive take out.'

But before she could even take a step towards the payphone, a cherry blossom flower flew right in front of her. Sakura held out her hand and had let the cherry blossom land on her palm.

'It's pressed?'

'Did someone lose it?'

While she was too focused on the pressed cherry blossom, she didn't notice the footsteps that accompanied the arrival of the flower so when she lifted her head to look ahead of her, she was met with the unexpected.

The feeling of warmth wrapped around her torso.

'Wha-? What's going on?!'

Her face turned red for the first time.

Author's Note 2: This next note would be about news regarding changing titles. I'm still trying to figure out what appropriate title should this story have. I am open to suggestions. Just review or pm me if you have any. Lastly, I will be having a poll. Seeing as this is Sakura-centric, here's the poll's question.

Who should Sakura end up with at the end of the story?

I am interested to see on what you guys think. Again, thank you and will try to update next month!