A big thank you to all my reviewers. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story.
Homework will take up the majority of my time, but I'm planning on updating at least once a week.
To SirByzantine: The story is going to become an AU, stretching until at least the end of Sakura's first year in the Academy. Chapters will start to grow in length as the story advances.
"Your progress with the leaf exercise is impressive, Sakura-san," Iruka-sensei commented.
Sakura beamed at the praise.
"I would suggest practicing with heavier objects, like a folded piece of paper, to get a feel for the amount of chakra needed to stick to objects of different weights. After you've mastered that, you could repeat the exercise with multiple leaves."
"If I want to try focusing my chakra in other spots, where would you recommend I start?"
"Start with channeling chakra to your hands. That's often the easiest. Then, you can move on to the arms."
"Thank you for your help, Iruka-sensei!"
She was the only student left in the classroom. The rest of her peers had left as soon as the bell went off. It was Thursday… She still had to go to kunoichi class. Boys didn't have to go! So unfair.
A flash of yellow caught her eye. She was about to ask Ino why she had come back, but she realized it was Naruto. As he walked past her to start on the back wall, she saw a few yellow sponges in the bucket he was carrying. He gave the wall a sad glance before he started scrubbing furiously.
Sighing, Sakura walked up beside him. He looked at her with shock as she grabbed a sponge of her own, and gently wiped the shell off of the turtle.
"You don't need to press that hard. The paint is fresh, so it'll come off easily."
"Thanks, Sakura-san," Naruto mumbled to the wall as he wiped off two of the turtle's legs.
"It's not a big deal, Naruto-san. I can only stay for 10 minutes anyways."
By the time Sakura left, the back wall was devoid of paint.
-X-
"It's the first time you've been this late, Sakura."
"I'm right on time," she retorted.
"Exactly. You're always early," Ino pointed out.
"I'm going to Shikamaru's place tomorrow. Chōji's going to be there too. Do you want to come?"
Ino gave her an unimpressed look, but dropped the topic.
"Yeah. Sure. I'll bring some of my mom's onigiri."
"Great!"
The devious smile on Ino's face told her that she wasn't going to get away from this unscathed.
"I think you should become a professional dancer, Forehead. That performance last class was quite entertaining."
Her cheeks flushed.
Ino snorted with laughter. "Your face! Ha! It's practically redder than your hair!"
"But, you know," Ino continued more calmly, "that was pretty impressive. I can't believe you got it to stick on your first try. Mine fell at least five times before I figured it out. How'd you do it so fast?"
Before she could reply, Suzume-sensei stepped up to the front.
"Class, we will be learning about the traditional tea ceremony today. The tea ceremony is ..."
Sakura listened with half an ear as Suzume-sensei expounded on the importance of the ceremony. She looked to her far right. There was Ami, surrounded by her gang of bullies. Even before she started attending the Academy, Ami had mocked her appearance. It wasn't until she met Ino that she started standing up for herself.
In September, when Ino was out sick, Ami had taken the chance to strike again during kunoichi class. Taunts had escalated into screaming, and finally a fistfight. Sakura had gotten chewed out by Suzume-sensei, but Ami had never bothered her again.
"Gatherings fall into two categories: chaji and chakai."
At her left, Hinata was listening attentively. Her eyes marked her as a member of the Hyūga clan, and Sakura had recently found out that she was also Neji's cousin. The Byakugan-wielder possessed a grace that Sakura envied. Hinata never moved. She flowed from place to place.
"A chaji is more formal, and requires much preparation."
Then there was Ino. Her best friend, the person who had saved her from her bullies. The person who had given her the ribbon she now wore in her hair. It was Ino who had taught her how to brush off insults. Ino who knew the meaning of each flower.
"During a chakai, sweets may be provided to guests."
Ino was also the heiress to the Yamanaka clan. Come to think of it, Hinata was the heiress to the Hyūga clan. In fact, there were quite a few clan heirs in her Academy class. Shikamaru and Chōji were each the heirs of their respective clans. Shino was heir to the noble Aburame clan. Sasuke and Kiba, though not heirs, were both members of their clan's head families.
Sakura puzzled over this for a while. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji being born around the same time wasn't surprising. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio was widely feared. It wasn't a stretch that the three clan heads would also want their heirs to be close in age, so they could be placed on the same genin team. That explanation didn't account for the other heirs, though. Maybe the clan heads had made some sort of agreement? Sakura doubted the heads would all cooperate so easily. She would need to do more research.
-X-
The house was silent when she entered. She slipped off her shoes, then padded upstairs to her room. She rifled through her backpack, taking out everything she needed for her homework. She was describing the differences between red and white blood cells when her gut instinct told her something was up.
She got up and looked around the room. Takeshi-kun was missing. She had placed him on the center of her bed, and she was sure he had been there when she walked in. Smiling, she ran downstairs.
"Dad!"
Her father laughed as she tackled him with a hug.
"I can't believe you managed to sneak into my room again."
"Well, I need some way to practice my stealth. Takeshi-kun's on the kitchen counter."
She sprang into the kitchen and grabbed the stuffed dog.
"Tell me about your mission Dad!"
"Well, this guy was the secretary..."
-X-
After dinner, Sakura headed to the library. She returned her book on the Second Shinobi World War, and started walking towards the history section. She herself was born after the Third Shinobi World War. That meant most of her classmates were also born around that time. Her search would start in that section.
She stopped. She backtracked. Her parents had told her that they had put off having a baby because of the Third War. It was the war. No parent wanted their children to live through a war, especially shinobi parents, whose children would likely be sent on dangerous missions. The number of births had gone down during the Third War. After the end of the war, with a relatively safer environment for children, there was a baby boom, at least until the Kyūbi attack. Well, that explained it.
Satisfied with her deductions, Sakura decided to stay at the library to finish her homework. Before she left, she completed her customary scan of the shelves, looking for any books that might interest her. A splash of blue caught her attention. There was no title on the spine. She grabbed it from the shelf and flipped it open. Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Shinobi. Intrigued, she thumbed through the book.
For shinobi, balance is the key. Do not give in to overtraining. You will destroy your body. Do not slack off. You will not improve… Take advantage of any resource that could aid you… If you are learning a new skill, learn it correctly the first time around… There is no place for ego on a mission… The element of surprise… Strive for efficiency… Half of the battle is in your mind… There are no heroes…
That night, she hugged Takeshi-kun to her chest as she dozed off. A blue book sat innocently on her nightstand.