Sakura Rewind

Written by: KamiNoSakura

Author's Note: This is a story that I thought of during my youthful years in Middle school. I thought that Sakura's role needed a bit more of an impact, so I wrote this story and revised it a number of times, hope you enjoy. There are some of my OCs and a few of the original characters may seem to be a bit OOC, but otherwise I tried to capture their original personalities. On another note, I do plan on making a doujinshi of this story however it will take some time due to my lack of excellent drawing skills. Please bear with me everyone. I do not own Naruto, all rights go to Kishimoto Masashi.

Warning: Main Character Death (Sort of…) & Some Profanity

-Chapter 3-

New & Unexpected Rivals

The game of ninja took place in an open field of grass that was peppered with daffodils and the seeds of dandelions scattered throughout the clear blue sky that hovered overhead. Sakura was enjoying herself to the fullest, she didn't have very much fun since Sasuke's abandonment of Konoha. She glanced over at her two companions Naruto and Lee who were just as exhausted as she was. The three continued to look above at the clouds watching the different shapes and forms they took and listened to the singing of the birds that occasionally flew by. They were enjoying their peace that is, until they heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. The three became alert, Sakura was more mentally prepared for battle compared to the other two who have yet to experience battle. Sakura then saw in the distance a small cloud of smoke that was building from a thicker part of the forest.

'I can't leave them by themselves, but if there is an enemy shinobi….' Sakura weighed her options and decided to bring Naruto and Lee along. If worst came to worst she would protect those two with her life.

"Lee-san, Naruto let's go and check out that explosion." Sakura declared at the two.

"Okay!" Both Lee and Naruto agreed that it would be a better idea that they find out if that explosion was a potential attack on Konoha. They hurried on over to the site of the explosion. There they saw two figures, one was a young man who looked to be in his teens and the other a small child who was no older than they were. Sakura immediately acknowledged them as the two Uchinha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi. She was near tears when her eyes fell upon the younger form of her childhood crush, but she quickly shook off those feelings, not wanting to be the weak, useless crybaby anymore. She regained her focus and observed the field which was obviously the site of the explosion. Itachi noticed them and stopped what he was doing.

"Is there something you children need?" asked the Uchiha prodigy.

Sakura was a bit annoyed by the remark of them being children, but she remembered that it was true. She was a child now, literally.

"Sorry for the interruption, but we saw an explosion and decided to check it out and find out if it was an enemy attack. But it seems that it was unnecessary, we'll be leaving now." Sakura bowed towards the older Uchiha and turned to leave.

"Hold it!" Sakura looked back to see the younger Uchiha calling out, more like shouting out at herself. "What could you have done?"

"I'm sorry?" asked Sakura who was trying to understand Sasuke's question.

"What could you have done if there was an enemy attack? Someone as weak as you would only get themselves killed, you wouldn't have been of any help at all." As Sasuke continued to berate her, Sakura's annoyance grew more and more. She was about to snap when both Naruto and Lee came to her defense.

"Shut up! Like you could have done any better! Who died and made you the judge of everyone's capabilities?" Shouted Naruto.

"That's right! You shouldn't make assumptions when you don't know your enemy's strength!" Added Lee. Sasuke then smirked, taking those comments as a challenge.

"Well then, shall we test out your abilities?" Inquired Sasuke, his question sounded more like a challenge to Naruto and Lee.

"Fine!" With that Sasuke raced towards Naruto and Lee. For a shinobi his age he was fairly speedy. Sakura knew how this fight would turn out, but she stood and watched the boys engage in combat.

Lee saw Sasuke raise his right arm and curled his hand into a fist readying for a punch. Lee then raise both of his arms in order to block the attack. It was all in vain as Sasuke feigned the attack and used his left leg to kick Lee at the side of his head. He was sent flying and landed hard against the surface of the ground. He writhed in pain as he struggled to get up, but couldn't. Sasuke then went for Naruto. He quickly appeared right behind the Jinchuuriki, as Naruto turned to face the young Uchiha we was punched in the gut and collapsed onto his knees from the sharp pain. Sasuke looked down on them, seeing how easy his victory was. Itachi sighed at his younger brother's arrogance and was about to step forward but was beaten to the punch by Sakura.

"See? You guys would have been killed in a heartbeat if it was an enemy shinobi"

"Well since you're so confident why not fight me in their place?" Sasuke was surprised by Sakura's sudden challenge and scoffed at the idea of fighting a delicate-looking girl.

"You must be joking! You would be beaten faster than those two lose-!" He then noticed the seriousness of Sakura's emerald eyes. He stepped back a bit, fear circulating throughout his body. 'W-what the? What's this feeling?'

"Well?"

"Huh? Well what?"

"Shall we find out if I'm as weak and delicate as you think I am?" As Sakura challenged Sasuke he noticed a gleam in her eyes, one of anticipation and confidence. In that instant he noticed that she disappeared from his line of sight. Not realizing that she was already behind him, preparing an attack. His senses kicked in and saved him from a seemingly strong punch, which cracked the ground considerably. As he was recovering from dodging the last attack, Sakura took the opportunity to send chakra to her feet, increasing her speed ten-fold, once again she appeared behind the young Uchiha, sending him flying a few meters away with her kick. Sasuke struggled to get back on his feet but was finding much difficulty. The pinkette walked up to the boy, smirking, as if enjoying his defeat with much pleasure.

"Do I look delicate to you now Uchiha-san?"

"Wait, wha-how did you know I thought of you as delicate? I never said that." Inquired the now confused Uchiha.

'That's right he didn't say delicate, but I'm sure I heard him saying it at some point…What's going on?' Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

(In Sakura's Head)

"So you finally noticed did you?"

"Futsunushi! What's going on here?!" Demanded the kunoichi.

"Calm down Haruno-san, did you already forget?"

"Forget what?"

"Before we made our deal, I promised you several things. One of them was giving you a few abilities that you never had before."

"So are you saying that one of those abilities was the ability to read other people's minds?"

"Not quite reading minds per se. But you can read expressions and nuances much better than before so it seems like you can hear what they think. Confusing I know, but you'll understand in due time how to effectively use this skill. Until then…" Futsunushi's voice disappeared from Sakura's head.

(Back to the Training Grounds)

Returning her attention the battle. "Well it was easy to read your expression. Your eyes tell me more about you and your thoughts than you might think Uchiha." Sasuke was dumbfounded. He didn't realize that his expressions betrayed his thoughts to the enemy. Anger built up inside of him, he was angry at himself for being vulnerable to his opponents, he was angry at the pink-haired girl who defeated him so relentlessly and exploiting one of his faults. Sakura saw fury in his eyes, and knew that Sasuke who she loved and adored would more than likely hate her with a passion. This was one of the many sacrifices she would have to make in order to protect not just Konoha, but the entire shinobi world. While the two young academy students were involved in their own world, Itachi, who was watching his younger brother and the young girl was impressed by Sakura's skills in fighting.

'For someone her age to be able to master chakra-control…she's someone to keep an eye on. But there's something about her. I can't shake this odd feeling…well I'll look into it later, right now I better calm Sasuke down before something bad happens.'

"Sasuke!" Called out the older of the Uchiha brothers. Sasuke's ears perked up by the voice of his idolized brother. Sakura noticed that the fury in Sasuke's eyes was replaced by happiness and found it amusing. Seeing that Sasuke, who was revered as one of the greatest threats to the world is now gleaming with excitement when around his older brother. A giggle escaped her lips which didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha brothers.

"W-what's so funny?!" Demanded Sasuke.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing really…" Obviously not believing her he shot a glare at the amused kunoichi. Itachi saw his brother feeling insulted by the young girl and had a sweat drop hanging from the back of his head. Sakura also noticed this forcing her controlled giggles into uncontrollable laughter. She held her stomach with both of her arms wrapped around and tearing from the rather loud chuckles and finally collapsing onto the hard earth, unable to contain her laughing. Sasuke pouted, frustrated and confused from the girl's sudden break-down.

"Hey what the hell are you laughing at?!"Sasuke demanded as he finally snapped. Sakura stopped most of her laughter and explained the source of her amusement.

"Well that would be you, I never thought I would ever see the day where a member of the great Uchiha clan would act like a lost little puppy, happy to find it's owner…it's so cute!" Sakura resumed her laughter leaving the young Uchiha boy speechless and bright red with embarrassment. Itachi also chuckled at the image of his younger brother who acts tough and cool being an adorable little puppy.

"Aniki not you too!"

"Sorry Sasuke, but she does have a point." Smiling to avoid any unnecessary tantrums that his brother would inevitably throw, He then turned to Sakura who after getting the laughter out of her system checked on her two fallen friends. Still holding an interest at the young girl's capabilities in battle he approached the kunoichi.

"I apologize for my ototo's behavior to both you and your friends. Are they alright?" Before Sakura could answer, she saw that both Lee and Naruto began waking up from their unconscious state. Lee's eyelids trembled as they struggled to open, as he did open his eyes the gleam from the harsh sunlight hurt a bit, but Lee nevertheless opened his eyes to see Sakura sitting beside him. His heart fluttered as he laid eyes on the girl he fell in love with. Naruto also showed signs of regaining consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a pair of green eyes. He knew that it was Sakura's eyes that were staring at him with some concern. Both of the boys shot up, realizing that they were knocked out from their battle with Sasuke. Naruto gritted his teeth, angered by his rather quick and humiliating loss against the Uchiha boy. Lee was also frustrated by the outcome. This didn't go unnoticed. Sakura knew that they were upset, being beaten in such a way, who could have blamed them?

"How are you two feeling? Can you stand up or should we take you to the hospital?" The two boys stayed silent, they didn't want to go to the hospital even if they needed treatment. Sakura sighed at their stubbornness and thought of something to cheer them up.

"Hey are you two hungry? How about we get some Ichiraku Ramen before we head home for the day?" Naruto's eyes widened happily, ramen was one of the things that he loved and enjoyed the most. But what made it even better was that he could have ramen with people he can finally call friends, and one of them is a girl he's falling helplessly in love for.

"Yeah! Let's go!...but wait, who's going to pay?" Hoping that he wouldn't have to pay with what little money he had. Sakura smirked, knowing what kind of frugal spender Naruto was.

"Don't worry, I have an idea." She said with a smile. This perked Naruto and Lee's curiosity.

"What's your idea Sakura-chan?"

"We could ask iruka-sensei from the academy."

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto's eyes noticeably became filled with sadness, thinking of one of the teachers he didn't really like.

"It's ok, I'm sure he's willing to treat us, and Naruto. If you want, we can do a little trick on him."

"A trick? What trick?"

"Just think about it, if he treats us then he's paying, and you can eat all the ramen you ever want while making his money fly out the window." She explained with a bit of a mischievous grin that surprising all the boys that were present. Naruto thought for a moment, registering (Which took some time) Sakura's idea until it finally sank in. His lips curved upwards into a very wide smile.

"Yeah I like that idea!" Sakura giggled at his antics which is the Naruto she adored, energetic, determined and would never let any opportunity for a prank slip away.

"Well then, we better get going and find Iruka-sensei." As Sakura, Naruto and Lee were about to leave, they were stopped the young Uchiha boy.

"Hold on!" Shouted and demanded Sasuke who was pointing at Sakura. "That's right, you with the big forehead. We're not done with our fight." Naruto and Lee looked at Sakura, not knowing that after they were defeated she was the one fighting the Uchiha.

"Sakura-chan? What's going on?"

"Ah, well while you two were knocked out I challenged Uchiha-san to a fight and won."

"You did not win!"

"Not yet anyway." Smirking at the enraged Sasuke.

"Then let's finish this!" At that point Sasuke charged straight for Sakura but was intercepted by his older brother Itachi.

"Now Sasuke, that's enough for today. We have to go home before mother scolds us. Besides, a loss is a loss. You need to learn how to accept it." Sasuke was about to protest but stopped, knowing full well that Itachi was right. He glared at Sakura.

"Fine I'll leave for today, but I refuse to lose to you a second time! Got it forehead girl?!" Sakura twitched at one of the things she absolutely hated being called and grew more irritable at the Uchiha by the second.

"Sasuke, that's very rude, apologize to her." Sasuke refused to do such a thing and simply turned his head, looking away from the bubblegum haired girl. Itachi let out a sigh, then turned back to the other children. "I'm sorry for my otooto's rudeness. Actually we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet have we? I'm Uchiha Itachi and this is Sasuke. And you three are?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'll be the future Hokage someday!" Exclaimed the jinchuuriki.

'So he's the vessel of the kyuubi huh, well that makes things a bit more interesting.' Itachi thought to himself as he continued to listen to the introductions. In all honesty, he was only interested in the young girl who defeated his little brother with little to no effort.

"I am Rock Lee, although I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu I plan on being a great shinobi using only taijutsu!"

'A shinobi who can't use neither ninjutsu nor genjustu is certainly a rarity, I wonder how this one will fare in the shinobi world?' Itachi then turned to Sakura, obviously interested. Sakura noticed Itachi's sudden interest in her and decided to torment him a bit by not saying anything.

"Well we have all the introductions out of the way, let's go get some Ramen."

"Hold it right there forehead, you've neglected to say your name."

"Who says I have to?"

"W-what?! You have no manners!"

"Funny,coming from the jerk who looks down on others and calling them rude names."

"Well you do have a big forehead! You forehead girl!"

"Just for the record my name isn't forehead girl, it's Haruno Sakura. You. Duck. Butt. Head." Silence immediately fell upon the five, after hearing the new nickname Sasuke was given. Bursts of laughter followed suit from Naruto and Lee. Even Itachi struggled to hold in his uncontrollable chuckles.

"D-duck butt?! How the hell did you come up with such a name?!"

"I guess you haven't looked at the mirror recently have you? I mean that hair style looks like a duck's butt, even you have to admit to that." Sasuke just stood silently thinking about what Sakura had said about his hair.

'Is my hair really like a duck's butt…? All the other girls fawn all over me to the point of annoyance, but her eyes (Sakura's) didn't even glitter with affection like the others. She's really different…never mind, I won't bother about it anymore.' His thoughts were interrupted by Itachi speaking to everyone.

"Alright everyone, now that we all know each other how about we call it a day? I'm sure you're all tired from the excitement that went on today. You three enjoy your ramen, I look forward to seeing you all again soon." Itachi then took his leave, gesturing Sasuke to do the same. Sasuke obediently followed his brother, still heated from his earlier conversation with the girl he now considers a rival.

'Haruno…Sakura, I won't lose to you a second time'

Back with Sakura and the others, they were heading towards the ninja academy, hoping they'll find Iruka-sensei there. To their dismay he was not there.

"I think we should split up and search for him, we can cover more ground that way. If you see him, ask if he's willing to treat us to ramen. We'll meet at Ichiraku's in an hour, agreed?" Sakura took control of the situation, treating it as if it's a real mission. Naruto and Lee both agreed that the plan was the best course of action to take, with that the three sped off to find Iruka-sensei. Naruto was heading towards Hokage Mountain, where the faces of Konoha's previous Hokage's are carved out. They were the heads of Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage and the founder of Konoha. Second was Senju Tobirama he helped in the making of Konoha. Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen is the present Hokage, after the death of the fourth, he returned to the position and protected the village since. The fourth and final Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the hero of Konoha. During the time when the village was attacked by the Kyuubi, he selflessly gave his own life to seal away the nine-tailed demon fox and saved Konoha from destruction. All of them were highly respected in both their village and others across the shinobi world.

As Naruto was searching the mountain, Lee was checking the streets of Konoha, bustling with people it made the search difficult. Sakura found herself travelling through the residential areas of Konoha. Many buildings and apartment complexes were decorated with various colors and shades. As Sakura was admiring the exterior of the homes she stumbled upon a large wall and gate, she checked the name plate and found that it was the gate to the home of the Hyuuga clan. They were one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, rivaling even the Uchiha clan. With Sakura's current height, the walls seem even taller than they normally would. As Sakura continued to be in awe of the sheer size of the area her instincts kicked in, as an object swirled towards her. She jumped out of the way of the object, which she saw as a kunai. She quickly scanned the area searching for her attacker.

"What business do you have with the Hyuuga clan?" Demanded the voice of Sakura's attacker. Sakura closed her eyes, heightening her other senses. Her ears picked the location of the voice. She disappeared from sight, confusing her opponent. Before they were able to make another move Sakura had put a kunai to their neck, ready to take the kill. Until she realized who her attacker was. A young boy adorned with long chestnut hair, pearl-like eyes and his forehead wrapped in bandages. It was none other than Hyuuga Neji. A young boy who is said to be a genius and is Lee's rival in the (near) future. She lowered her weapon and directly faced the young Hyuuga.

"What's the big idea? Why attack with no warning?" Asked a slightly irritated Sakura.

"You're one to talk, what business do you have with the Hyuuga clan?"

"Nothing, I just happened to be passing by."

"You sure have quite a lot of time on your hands. If you have time to nose around people's property then maybe you should be training."

"First of all, what I do in my own time is none of your business, second of all I wouldn't say to the person who could have nearly killed you just now."

"I could have defended myself."

"Really? Shall we test that theory?" Sakura in an instant drew back the kunai she had originally held and threw straight towards Neji. His instincts kicked in and saved him from certain death. He activated the Byakugan, the dojutsu, the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga clan. This allows them to see through their opponents and look straight into their chakra network.

'As expected from Neji, for him to be able to control the Byakugan at such a young age…well even so, he still hasn't had the battle experience yet.' Sakura, impressed by Neji's abilities sent chakra to her feet, giving her extra speed to avoid Neji's range of vision. Although his Byakugan was activated, his eyes couldn't keep up with Sakura's speed. Before he knew it, Sakura was right behind the Hyuuga hitting the back of his neck, knocking him out.

'Well I have to say, Sasuke-kun was easier to beat. At least I didn't have to worry about fighting two number one rookies with rather annoying dojutsu.' Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a man who looked very much like Hyuuga Hiashi, the leader of the clan.

"Neji, are you alright son?" Sakura was surprised by the comment.

'Son? Then this must be his father, the one that died for the clan…' Hizashi looked at the young girl who impressively defeated his own son, the one known as a prodigy within the clan.

"Who are you? May I ask what business do you have here?"

"Ah sorry for my rudeness, I'm Haruno Sakura. Actually I don't have any business with the Hyuuga clan, I'm looking for Iruka-sensei of the Ninja Academy and I happened to pass by the Hyuuga estate. I apologize for any intrusion, but it was completely unintentional." She bowed and was about to leave when Neji stopped her.

"W-wait!" She turned to face the beaten-down Hyuuga boy.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"W-were not d-done yet…" He struggled getting back on his feet but to no avail. He then gave up and was content with sitting on the cold earthy ground.

'Good grief! What's with these guys and their annoying stubbornness? Can't they take a hint and just accept their loss?' A sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she walked towards the young prodigy.

"Look, I'm not going to continue this fight, especially a fight that's all about pride. As future-shinobi we must learn to accept our losses and move on with our lives. We will inevitably face situations where we lose people we love in battle or in times of peace, there is no way of knowing when their deaths would come, nor our own. This is the reality we and almost everyone in the village live in and it's one we decided on our own." Hizashi was amazed by Sakura's maturity and understanding of the shinobi life.

'It seems that this generation of shinobi will be one of the greatest this village, no this world will see. This girl especially, she will be a great asset to the village, with her knowledge and skill she will undoubtedly be a powerful shinobi in the future.' He grinned thinking of how lucky Konoha is to have such a kunoichi.

"Well what would you like Haruno-san?" Asked Hizashi, breaking the tension between the two young shinobi-to-be.

"I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

"A reward of course. After all you did win in your fight; I should think that a reward would be appropriate."

"Oh no, please don't trouble yourself. The fight was unplanned and it was my fault since I did intrude on the Hyuuga estate. No reward would be necessary."

"That's right father! Why should we give her a reward anyways?" Demanded the confused Hyuuga boy. Hizashi looked down at his son and placed his hand on top of the child's head and gave him a pat. He then returned his gaze at the young pink-haired kunoichi.

"Then think of it as a gift of gratitude."

"That's even more confusing…can you explain?"

"During your fight with Neji, I was watching from the start. You could have easily ended Neji's life the moment you found him, but you didn't. You actually did the exact opposite of what a shinobi should have done. You gave him a chance to live, whether he chose to fight or runaway afterwards was out of your hands, but you still allowed him the chance of freedom."

"What's your point father?"

"My point is, seeing your skill in battle, it would have been easy to kill in an instant and seeing your knowledge and understanding killing another is no heavy burden. But you showed compassion and sympathy with my son, and for that I thank you."

"Please Hyuuga-san, there's no need for thanks or any form of gratitude…"

"I insist, please…" Sakura wasn't too sure of what she should have done in her current situation, but she just gave in and nodded in agreement with Hizashi. He smiled at her whereas Neji was pouting at his father's odd change in behavior.

"So Haruno-san what would you like as a gift?" Sakura thought for a moment. The Hyuugas were known for their skills in Taijutsu and other things. She tried to think of something reasonable and useful. After a moment of contemplating her options she then knew what she wanted from the Hyuuga twin.

"Hyuuga-san, if it's alright. May I have a chart?"

"A chart?" Inquired the confused father.

"Yes, a chart of the human body and its chakra network." Hizashi was stunned to a point of speechlessness. He didn't know that someone who isn't older than his own son knew about the Byakugan's abilities to see their opponents chakra network.

"How did you come across such information?" Asked Hizashi who was slightly concerned, this didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

"It's a pretty common fact that the Hyuugas are known for their abilities to see straight into the chakra system thanks to the Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan. Although I do admit it is unusual for someone my age to have such information. But it's a hobby of mine."

"A hobby?"

"Yes, I would spend most of my time researching various things about our village and some other villages as well, let's just say I like to know what's going on with my home village." Hizashi took a moment in deciding whether he should be worried about the knowledge this girl had, but decided to follow his gut feeling that was telling him to trust the kunoichi.

"Very well, please wait a moment…." Hizashi left into the estate, as the two children were waiting Neji shot a glare at Sakura.

'Oh brother, Neji and Sasuke-kun are more alike than I thought…' She let out a sigh which provoked Neji.

"What's your problem?!"

"Huh?"

"Why the sigh, are you bored or something?! Don't get too cocky, just because you defeated me this one time!"

'These two are so similar it's kind of …scary…'

"No I'm not bored, it's just that I have to meet up with my friends soon. But before that, I have to find Iruka-sensei."

"Why do you need to find an academy teacher?"

"Well…" Sakura paused and grinned at the reason why Naruto, Lee and herself were trying to find Iruka-sensei for. "Well, that's a secret, sorry."

"Tell me."

"Why does it matter? I didn't think that a Hyuuga prodigy such as yourself would even care about the life of a stranger like me."

"I-I don't care about you and your life, it's just just…"

"Just what?" Neji didn't know how to defend himself. It's true though, why did he care about what the annoying kunoichi did? He was saved an explanation when his father, Hizashi appeared with a scroll at hand.

"Here you go Haruno-san." He handed the scroll to Sakura who smiled and bowed as a gesture of gratitude.

"Thank you Hyuuga-san."

"Now to let you know, the first chart in the scroll is the chakra network of a normal shinobi, and the rest are those with various Kekkei Genkais that are known in the shinobi world. Even the Hyuuga clans." Sakura was shocked, she didn't think that a proud Hyuuga member would be so willing to give away a major secret of the clan, especially their own weakness.

"Father, what's the meaning of this?!" Exclaimed a confused and equally shocked Neji.

"Calm down Neji, the reason I did this is simple. I believe in you Haruno-san."

"Believe in me? Why? I haven't really done anything that warrants in your trust."

"True, logically speaking I should be suspicious of you, but my gut feelings are telling me otherwise. Although it's against my better judgement I am going to trust my intuition and believe that you will help Konoha in the future. I can't explain why really, but I have no reservations about you." Sakura was speechless, she had no idea of what to do or say when Hizashi laid down his own heart and feelings like that.

'He's right though, I do plan on changing the outcome of the future, even if it means that I have betray everyone in the village. I will do whatever it takes to save everyone!' Sakura's eyes became serious and understood what it took to save Konoha, she bowed once more and made her way to leave. Before she left, she looked back at Neji.

"Neji! If you want to have that rematch then enroll in the same year as me in the academy! Then I will fight you whenever you want!" Neji's eyes grew wide, and then his lips curved upwards at the declaration of Sakura's challenge.

"Fine, but I won't lose to you again Haruno!" Neji faced his father, who knew what Neji was going to say. "Father, I'm going to enroll in the academy next year and face her again!" Hizashi didn't say anything and just nodded his head in agreement.

Sakura continued her search for Iruka-sensei and she now had some new and unexpected rivals…