Disclaimer: This story was adopted and all credit original author, cywsaphyre

"How is my favourite cousin this bright fine morning?"

Shisui grinned when Itachi twitched like he was about to fall out of the tree he was perched in but caught himself just in time. His little cousin may have been a genius but Shisui wasn't known for his Shunshin for nothing. He took pride in the fact that he could still surprise Itachi on a regular basis.

"Shisui," Itachi acknowledged curtly but, as usual, made no attempt to start a conversation.

Actually, on closer observation, Shisui wondered why his cousin seemed a little tense at the moment. And now that he thought about it, what in the name of Konoha was Itachi doing in a tree in the civilian sector at seven in the morning?

"Itachi, what are you doing?" Naturally curious, Shisui studies his cousin closely before glancing around. He had always been an early riser, much like Itachi in that respect, and was on his way to get some dango when he picked up his cousin's chakra signature.

Letting his senses probe his surroundings, Shisui found his attention drawn to the neat-looking house several feet away. He looked back at Itachi again and found the younger Uchiha's gaze fixed determinedly in the opposite direction.

Well, Itachi was practically shouting for Shisui to investigate.

Clambering easily up to the branch Itachi was crouching on, Shisui peered at the normal house again and blinked when he found himself with a clear view of the backyard; and a…

"Itachi," Shisui turned to gape at his cousin as a horrifying thought snaked into his mind. "Are you stalking little girls now?"

Itachi's head snapped around and he glared irritably at Shisui without ever shifting his expression. "I am not stalking anyone. What I do in my own time is none of your business."

Shisui stared at Itachi for a few seconds longer as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. He hadn't see his cousin in several months now having only returned yesterday from a mission in Kumo – and after the whole Hyuuga disaster, is wasn't a picnic – but he recalled that Itachi was usually training at this time. Unless he had a mission, Itachi was almost always training.

So, what had changed?

Carefully, Shisui focussed on the pink-haired girl doing katas in the yard again. She could only be five at most and a civilian child to boot; why was Itachi so interested in her? Looking closer, he noted the smooth, practiced movements of the exercises she was going through. She was quite good.

"She's pretty good for a kid," He commented out loud. "Who is she?"

Itachi glowered at him, clearly unhappy that Shisui was cutting in on his…whatever he was doing, but he answered after Shisui maintained an expectant look on his face. "Haruno Sakura. She's Sasuke's friend."

Shisui's eyebrow shot up briefly in surprise. "Oh? Sasuke-chan's made a new friend? And a girl at that," He grinned again. "Your little brother has got more moves than you do, Itachi."

Itachi almost frowned but retained a blank look while still somehow conveying his displeasure. One day, Shisui really would have liked to have found how he did that.

"So, what, you're here to see if she's a danger to Sasuke?" Shisui couldn't help snickering. "C'mon, Itachi, what is she gonna do? Fangirl him to death?"

Itachi just gave him a deadpan look that unmistakably questioned Shisui's brain capacity. But he didn't look as annoyed anymore; in fact, his cousin looked almost amused.

Shisui got the feeling that he was missing something.

He looked back at the girl again. She really wasn't anything special; above average for a civilian but he had seen shinobi children go through katas like that every day.

Except…

He hadn't completely hidden his chakra like Itachi had, only muted it, and when he shifted and rose so he could sit on the branch above, he caught a set of green eyes flicker in his direction for half a second and knew he, at least, had been spotted.

That was definitely not normal. He may not have concealed himself entirely but children from ninja families twice her age shouldn't have been able to sense him.

"She is entering the Academy in a few weeks," Itachi spoke up and Shisui almost keeled over from shock. He could even recall a time when his cousin had offered information without prompting when it wasn't for a mission. "She will be represented by the Uchiha Clan."

Shisui's eyes widened and he studied the girl more intently. To be represented by their clan, she would have to have gain the approval of their Clan Head. Holding a successful conversation with Itachi when he was at his moodiest was easier than impressing Uchiha Fugaku. Shisui could attest to that; he had tried.

"She must be something else then," Shisui remarked. "What did she do?"

There was a definite smirk on Itachi's face now. Obviously, he was quite smug about knowing something that Shisui was still in the dark about. Shisui didn't know what to make of it either. Itachi usually didn't care about one-upping him.

"She saved Sasuke from a possible abduction," Itachi told him. "She defeated an Iwa missing-nin in the process."

Shisui stare between Itachi and the child in disbelief. "Wait, a little pink-haired girl took down a missing-nin?! Any Iwa missing-nin? Those guys are hardcore, I-eat-children-for-breakfast psychos!"

Itachi gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look. "Nevertheless," His cousin intoned, finally turning back to the girl. "She succeeded. She also convinced Otou-sama to enrol Uzumaki Naruto as well, and Sasuke went to him last night and convinced him to admit him too."

Shisui didn't know what stunned him more; the fact that that girl had somehow manipulated their Clan Head into doing what she wanted or the fact that this was the most Itachi had ever said to him at any one time.

He decided to ignore the latter and stick to the former.

"She doesn't have blackmail on our esteemed leader, does she?" Shisui paid no attention to the dark look Itachi shot him.

"She made several good points to Otou-sama," Itachi said stiffly.

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Lighten up, Itachi. I was joking. What about the Uzumaki brat?"

"He is also Sasuke's friend." Itachi informed him curtly.

Huh, back to short answers again. Ah well, Shisui couldn't really expect Itachi to become a chatterbox. That would probably give everyone heart attacks.

"Well," Shisui stood up, dusted off his pants. "I'll leave you to your stalking in peace"

Itachi looked torn between irritation and alarm. "I am not stalking," He intoned flatly. "And where are you going?"

"Aw, do you want me to stick around that much, Tachi-chan?" Shisui cooed, grinning at the lethal glare Itachi shot him. "Don't worry; I'm not going far. But you've gone and stirred up my curiosity. I can't just sit around anymore, can I?"

And before Itachi could stop him, Shisui leaped to the ground and Shunshined into the pink-haired girl's backyard.

He could almost feel Itachi's desire to strangle him.

~T~

Sakura didn't know what to think when she sensed a foreign chakra signature in a nearby tree. She had seen pictures of Uchiha Shisui before so she knew him on sight, and Sasuke had told her once that his older cousin was as un-Uchiha-like as they came.

Still, she didn't expect Shisui to Shunshin into her yard and bound right up to her with a grin and a good-natured greeting.

"Heya!" Shisui dropped into a crouch right in front of her and Sakura didn't know whether to run away or stick the crazy teen with a kunai. She settled on staring warily at him instead.

"I'm Shisui," The teen continued. "I hear you're being represented by the Uchiha Clan; that practically makes us family! Nice to meet you!"

Sakura stared at Shisui and tried to see the Uchiha in him. Except for the looks, she found it impossible.

"I'm Sakura," She mumbled, backing away a little from the teen's proximity. If she hadn't had so much practice dealing with Naruto and Kiba, she would've taken insult and fled the moment Shisui landed in her yard.

"Yeah, I heard," Shisui said with good humour and Sakura flushed a little. Duh, he had already said as much.

She casted around for something else to say and grasped onto what little information she had on him. "You're Shunshin no Shisui?" She ventured.

Shisui nodded, eyes brightening. "That's me. Fastest in the entire Uchiha Clan. Pretty cool, huh?"

Ah, there was the famous Uchiha arrogance, but it was tempered with the teen's natural friendliness and Sakura found herself smiling back despite his uncharacteristic personality.

"I can do Shunshin too," She said instead.

Shisui blinked, obviously surprised. "Oh? Care to show me then?" He pointed to the other end of the yard. "There and back. Let's see how fast you are."

Sakura couldn't help but be pleased that there was no disbelief in Shisui's voice. He could of course had already heard of her Shunshin when she saved Sasuke but most people would still harbour some doubts if they did not actually see it. And she still remembered Sasuke's harsh critiques so it was something of a surprise to meet an Uchiha who didn't sneer first and ask questions never.

Forming a Ram seal, she flickered away, barely letting her feet settle on the ground at the far end of her garden before she flashed back again. She could feel the drain on her chakra but ignored it in favour of blinking up at Shisui, mildly winded but a lot better than when she first started practicing the technique.

Shisui had broke out into an even wider grin and he ruffled her hair with enthusiasm. "That was awesome, Chibi-chan!"

Sakura could stand a lot of things; she had had to what with being Naruto's friend and medic, but she was not going to stand for anyone calling her Chibi-chan.

"Don't call me that," She scowled up at the teen, swatting at the hand.

To her surprise, Shisui only chuckled, looking highly amused. "You know, you remind me of Tachi-chan."

Her brain stalled. Tachi-chan?

She wondered if Shisui had ever called Itachi 'Tachi-chan' to his face, and then wondered why the teen was still alive because of course Shisui had. The older Uchiha seemed just like Naruto personality-wise.

"You can just call me Sakura," Sakura suggested with a glower.

"Alright, Kura-chan," Shisui said cheerfully.

Sakura twitched. Did this idiot have selective hearing? Besides, no one but Inner called her Kura-chan.

"You'll get faster as your chakra reserves grow," Shisui took no notice of her annoyance. "Maybe you'll even be as fat as me someday."

With that said, he flashed out of sight and Sakura's eyes widened as she tried to followed his speed. Before she could even focus on the teen at the far end of the yard, he was back again, standing beside her with a proud smirk.

"How's that, Kura-chan?" Shisui flopped to the ground not without grace. "Think you can beat that one day?"

Sakura could tell him right now that even at twenty-six, she thought she could only match that speed and Shisui was only thirteen at the moment. In her timeline, she was certain even Itachi in his twenties was only slightly faster than Shisui was now.

But it wasn't like her to say she couldn't she crossed her arms stubbornly and told him, "I'll beat that speed and then you'll have to lose the nickname!" She huffed at the smirk on his face. "Just you wait; I'll be much faster when I grow up!"

"That's the spirit!" Shisui ruffled her hair again and Sakura didn't bother ducking out of the way. She could tell this would become a habit the Shunshin expert wasn't going to drop anytime soon. "But don't think I'll make it easy for you. You're gonna have to work you're a- butt off."

Sakura snickered inwardly at Shisui's slip. He was as far from the typical Uchiha as possible and she couldn't say she minded.

"Anyway, I was on my way to get some dango," Shisui continued, getting to his feet again. "Wanna come with me? My treat, in celebration of the Uchiha Clan gaining a new family member."

Sakura almost rolled her eyes. She wasn't really a family member just because she had the Uchiha Clan's backing. She remembered reading about the other handful of shinobi the Uchihas had taken on over the years though and knew they all went on to marry one member or another so at least she knew why Shisui seemed to have all but inducted her into his clan. Still, Sakura wasn't planning on marrying anybody anytime soon.

But the dango sounded nice and she did even have to pay, so, she nodded and scampered inside to leave a note for her parents. They knew she was preparing for the Academy so they had told her to simply leave a note if she needed to leave early or stay late to practice.

As she returned to Shisui out front, Sakura thought she sensed a flare of killer intent for just a millisecond from the tree Shisui had perched on earlier but when she turned to look there was no one there.

Beside her, for some unknown reason that he didn't divulge even after Sakura asked, Shisui laughed.

~E~

When Itachi closed the front door with an audible snap, Mikoto immediately knew he was annoyed. Her eldest son typically made as little noise as possible.

"Did you not have enough time to finish training, Itachi-kun?" She asked as he stepped inside the kitchen.

Itachi shook his head but didn't say more than that right away, busying himself with getting a glass of water. Mikoto didn't mind; she knew her son was only gathering his thoughts and not being impolite.

Several minutes later, Itachi asked abruptly, "Why do people like Shisui so much?"

Mikoto couldn't help but stare. Of all things she was waiting to hear, it was not that.

Itachi must've caught the perplexity in her expression because he clarified, a strain of annoyance leaking into his voice as he sat down at the dinner table. "He had no respect for personal space and he does not even act like an Uchiha. He says what he wants and calls people by ridiculous monikers without asking for permission."

Mikoto blinked. Was her son…

"Itachi-kun," She started gently, moving to take a seat at the table as well. "You have never had any particular problems with Shisui's personality before. What brought this on?"

Itachi actually fidgeted a little and Mikoto started getting worried. Did Shisui cross a line in his interactions with Itachi? She had never worried because she thought her stoic son could use some affection from someone other than herself but perhaps Shisui had finally somehow insulted Itachi with his teasing and her admittedly introverted son didn't understand it was only that?

When Itachi didn't say anything more, Mikoto enquired tentatively, "Did something he say come out as an insult? I'm sure Shisui-kun didn't mean it. What did he say?"

Itachi frowned. "He said he has the fastest Shunshin in the Uchiha Clan and it would be hard to surpass him in that area."

Mikoto frowned in utter confusion. Itachi had never minded that fact, especially since it was the truth.

"Then he took her out for dango," Itachi added, his hands tightening around his glad of water.

…Her?

"'Her'", Itachi-kun?" Mikoto asked cautiously. "He was talking to someone else?"

Itachi nodded. "Of course. I would not care if he said that to me."

Mikoto picked her next words carefully. "But you cared when he said it to the…girl?"

Could it be?

Itachi nodded again, his frown deepening. "He interrupted her training and he was rude even when he introduced himself but she didn't seem to mind."

"And this is a bad thing?" Mikoto asked slowly, trying to contain her rising glee.

Was Itachi taking an interest in something other than training?

Itachi nodded a third time before tacking on with just the slightest hint of resentment, "She was impressed with his speed."

Mikoto tried very hard not to smile. "Well, Shisui-kun is very fast. I'm sure anyone who hadn't seen him use Shunshin would be."

Itachi's mouth twitched downward. "…He called her 'Kura-chan' even though she told him to call her by her real name."

Apparently, her son was not happy that she didn't seem very sympathetic to his plight and was trying to point out all of his cousin's faults.

…Wait.

"'Kura-chan'?" Mikoto's voice came out more shocked than she planned and she straightened subconsciously.

Clearly believing that his mother had finally caught on, Itachi demanded, "He obviously shouldn't if she doesn't want him to, right? So, why did she agree when he asked her out for dango?"

Mikoto was still stuck on the nickname. "Itachi-kun, are we talking about Sakura-chan right now?"

Itachi gave her a rare impatient look as if he expected his mother to be telepathic and just know. She was clearly being slow on purpose.

Mikoto really wanted to laugh.

"Itachi-kun," Mikoto couldn't help smiling. "I'm sure Shisui-kun only wanted to make Sakura-chan feel more welcome. After all, she will have more interactions with our clan now that we are representing her."

"…He called her 'Kura-chan'!" There was indignation in her son's voice as he repeated himself, and for once, he seemed to forget to speak with the typical Uchiha aloofness. "Like they're friends even though they just met!"

"Shisui-kun is just being friendly, Itachi-kun," Mikoto explained. "Doesn't he call you 'Tachi-kun'?"

Itachi immediately scowled. "I do not like it, but Shisui is my cousin. We grew up together."

"And Shisui-kun wants to be Sakura-chan's friend so he gave her a nickname," Mikoto said firmly but not unkindly. Her emotionally distant son was finally showing interest in something normal and she didn't want to discourage him. "I'm sure she would let you as well."

Itachi was silent for a long moment, and even though the only sign of his irritation was the frown on his face, Mikoto knew he was stewing inside.

"…I met her first," Itachi finally told her quietly but there was a sliver of hurt in his voice.

Mikoto didn't know whether to laugh or hug her son. She chose the latter and made a mental note to thank Sakura at a later date when she felt him hug her back. It had been a long time since Itachi had felt the need for affection from her, and she was glad it was for something as simple as this.

Her eldest child was a prodigy but most forgot that he was also only nine-years-old. While he would wield weapons and complete high-level missions without fail, he was also very deprived of the social interactions most children his age experienced. Mikoto had always hated the fact that Itachi had never learned how to play or make friends or even just relax.

"Itachi-kun," She said when he pulled away. "If you want to be friends with Sakura-chan as well, all you have to do is talk to her. It doesn't have to be anything specific; Sakura-chan will understand." She paused, and then added. "And Shisui-kun can be friends with her if he wants. After all, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are also her friends, aren't they?"

Itachi scowled just a little but nodded in a resigned manner before downing the rest of his water. A thought seemed to occur to him as he stood up to leave.

"She said she would get me to talk," Itachi muttered almost to himself. "That means she will have to talk to me."

And with a sharp nod of satisfaction, he retreated to his room, leaving a bewildered Mikoto in his wake.

Later, when Sasuke descended the stares and caught his mother laughing to herself, Mikoto had to give the impression that she had simply been thinking of something funny before staring on Sasuke's breakfast.

Itachi's predicament wasn't really humorous but Mikoto just couldn't help herself. Her son was finally acting his age and it was quite amusing to watch.

~M~

Fugaku had spent all day in the Council room fielding questions and pushing two children's – one of them being the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki – enrolment into the Academy. Suffice to say, he was in a rather foul mood by the time he came home so he didn't find it particularly fair when his wife came to greet him with an unusually good cheer.

"Something good happen today?" Fugaku asked as he sat down wearily at the dinner table. It was late and his sons were already in bed.

Mikoto 'hmm'd an affirmative as she placed his dinner in front of him. "Itachi-kun had a slight falling out with Shisui-kun today but I think it is for the best," An almost demonic glint appeared in her eyes and Fugaku watched her somewhat warily.

"They're fighting over a girl," Mikoto told him cheerfully. "Sakura-chan to be exact."

Fugaku wondered if the day-long Council meeting had affected his mental faculties. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had.

"Sakura-san is five, dear," Fugaku pointed out wryly. "And Itachi is nine. She's too young for anyone to be fighting over and our son's too young to be doing the fighting."

"Well, of course," She agreed. "It's just friendly rivalry between children. Shisui-kun is only thirteen after all. But it's good for Itachi-kun. He need to learn how to socialise."

Fugaku grunted but didn't say anything to dispute his wife's excitement. His wife had always been adamant on this aspect of Itachi's life. So long as Itachi didn't do a complete 180 and start skipping training, Fugaku didn't mind who he interacted with while off-duty.

"What about you?" Mikoto's gaze became concerned. "It looks like you've had a hard day."

Fugaku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You could say that. Honestly, you'd think I grew a second head today with all the stares I got. That Yamanaka looked like he wanted to check my mind for possession or something."

Fugaku was tired and only when his wife was around which was the only reason he could loosen his tongue a little.

Mikoto released a soft laugh at that. "Well, you have to admit, it is very out-of-character for you to represent two children outside of the Uchiha Clan. And one of them being…"

She trailed off meaningfully and Fugaku nodded. Sometimes, he wished he could share her struggle about Naruto being the son of the Yondaime and Uzumaki Kushina, he remembered the tears his wife had shed when she heard of her dear friend's sacrifice; she was at least quick to figure out for herself that Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi who took her friend away.

"Did it work though?" Mikoto continued. "Did they approve?"

"In the end, if push comes to shove, only the Hokage needs to approve it and he did," Fugaku confirmed. "But it is better if the Council agrees. They didn't have any problems accepting Sakura-san's admission but the Uzumaki boy took me most of the day to convince them." He paused and then scoffed, "Nara agreed just to speed things along. He was ready to fall asleep by the late afternoon. I think he was asleep by the time the meeting ended. How someone like him became a clan head is beyond me."

Mikoto laughed again and Fugaku found himself smiling back grudgingly.

"You know as well as I do that Shikaku-san more than makes up for his laziness with his intellect," Mikoto said.

"If he had intellect, he wouldn't be so lazy," Fugaku grumbled without heat.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Fugaku finished his meal. As Mikoto cleaned up, Fugaku leant back in his seat wearily, his mind casting back to the meeting with the Clan Elders that morning.

The Elders were not happy with Fugaku taking on an extra burden like Konoha's Jinchuuriki but he insisted. He didn't know where he was going with his decision, not exactly, but his instincts told him it was the right choice. He was as afraid as they were that the Uchiha Clan would soon be reduced in strength with the other clans standing against them.

But after today's meeting, he noticed something strange. He had told his wife that Nara Shikaku only consented to getting the meeting over but he knew it was only part of the reason. Shika did not capitulate immediately after all. He listened to Fugaku's reasons and summary of Naruto's skills with sharp eyes that contradicted his signature slouch. He brought up point that made Fugaku defend his claims with honest reasons; and during a break in the early afternoon, he ambled up to Fugaku as asked with uncharacteristic sobriety if Fugaku was being sincere.

Fugaku wanted Haruno Sakura associated with his Clan for his Clan but the only reason he wanted Uzumaki Naruto was for Sakura and, after a night's contemplation, for Minato. And he had not played political war with the Elders and the Could for hours just to entertain himself so his answer was a frigid but vehement 'yes'.

Shikaku ended up staring at him with an odd look on his face that Fugaku couldn't decipher for several seconds before shrugging lazily and meandering back to Inoichi and Chouza. But after that, Fugaku suddenly found himself with three new allies and it wasn't long until they managed to talk Tsume and Shibi around as well. The Hyuuga Clan Head took a while but Fugaku originally expected Hiashi to downright refuse until the bitter end so he didn't mind. Once they were convinced he wasn't representing Naruto for underhanded reasons, Fugaku was taken aback by the number of people willing to stand beside him.

And he didn't understand that. He had always thought the other Clans wanted the Uchiha Clan undermined and kept under surveillance, used only for the power they brought to Konoha but having no real voice within the village. Surely, they would have done whatever they could have to discredit him and accuse him of treachery. But after today, after the way the other Clan Heads helped his petition get through the village Elders willingly, Fugaku wasn't sure what to think.

The only thing he was sure of was that maybe he should start thinking of ways to convince his Clan's Elders and the other Uchihas to reconsider the coup d'état they have been planning.

~P~

"Finally home, dear?"

Inoichi looked up and smiled wearily at his wife who was descending the stairs in her sleepwear. "You look exhausted," Airi observed, bustling into the kitchen to heat up his dinner. "Council meetings usually don't take all day. Did something big happen?"

"That Uchiha brought up a huge issue," Inoichi grumbled, slumping into a seat. "He didn't even have the decency to warn us beforehand so we could prepare to bulldoze the Elders and not spend the entire day fielding their bullshit."

"Language," Airi said sternly as she carried his dinner over. "And warn you about what?"

Inoichi dug into his meal with enthusiasm and swallowed a huge mouthful before speaking again. "He wants Uzumaki Naruto enrolled in the Academy in the upcoming term along with a civilian girl."

"Uzumaki…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "That's good, isn't it? So long as he isn't doing it for any ulterior motives, with the Uchiha Clan backing him, Naruto-kin will get decent education."

Inoichi smiled fondly at his wife and her lack of judgement. Despite her love of gossip, Airi had never been one to let others guide her beliefs and the rumours on Konoha's Jinchuuriki were no different.

"Exactly," Inoichi nodded. "But Uchiha could've warned us first."

"Do you blame him for not coming to the rest of you?" Airi was suddenly frowning. "He probably thinks you'd all disagree with him."

Inoichi scoffed and retorted, "Anyone would disagree with him after seeing that stick up his ass -ow!"

Airi glared at him as Inoichi rubbed his head. "How many times have I told you to make an effort to listen to his side of things?" She scolded. "Honestly, it's no wonder he expects all of you to oppose him."

Inoichi rolled his eyes but didn't argue. He supposed today was a prime example of what his wife had been alluding to for years.

"What about the girl then?" Airi enquired. "Who is she? It isn't like the Uchihas to take in someone from the civilian sector."

Inoichi nodded in agreement. "She's quite the prodigy, apparently. She knows Shunshin and can already fight efficiently with kunai, and her chakra control takes after Tsunade-sama's."

Airi's eyes widened. "Chakra-enhanced strength?"

"Yeah," Inoichi shook his head. "She's the one who saved Uchiha's second son from that Iwa missing-nin I mentioned."

"She must be amazing," Airi remarked, and then her head snapped sharply to the right, her eyes focussed on the doorway. "Yamanaka Ino, I told you to go to bed!"

It was a testament to how tired he was that Inoichi's relaxed guard didn't pick up his own daughter. He raised an eyebrow when Ino slipped into the room, looking guilty but defiant.

"I just wanted to see Tou-san before I went to bed," She muttered before brightening when Inoichi opened his arms. She bounded forward and clambered into his lap, clearly happy that her father wasn't mad at her. Inoichi shot Airi a sheepish look over Ino's head and his wife rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You're always spoiling her," She lectured half-heartedly.

"And you're always not," Inoichi pointed out. "It balances things out."

Ino giggled in his arms as Airi scowled at him.

"How was your day, Ino?" Inoichi glanced down at his daughter.

"Great!" She exclaimed, snuggling into his chest. "Sakura came over and I taught her how to make a flower wreath."

Inoichi stiffened. "Sakura?"

Ino pouted up at him. "My friend, Tou-san. The one I'm always telling you about."

Inoichi frowned in consternation. Huh, he somehow hadn't made the connection. "Her name's Sakura?"

Ino huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, Tou-san."

Airi shot him a mildly exasperated look. "Is that important?" She asked.

Inoichi shrugged. "The civilian girl Uchiha is representing is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

Ino perked up. "Yeah, that's Sakura's last name," She wilted just as quickly. "She said she was going to go to the Academy early. I didn't know it was this early."

Inoichi blinked down at her. What were the odds that his own daughter would be friends with the girl who managed to impress the Uchiha Clan Head?

"She's told you about it?" He pressed.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, she said she was going to the Academy soon," She made a face and thumped one foot against the table. "I wanted to enter with her but I wouldn't be able to keep up anyway. She already knows a lot."

Inoichi exchanged a look with Airi. Ino had never expressed a desire to go to the Academy. She had always known she would be going when she turned six and she had never had any problems with it but there had never been any particular interest either.

"You know, I could enrol you early if that's what you want," Inoichi suggested, but Ino shook her head.

"There wouldn't be any point," She told him with a sigh. "I checked the stuff we'd learn in first year and I think I need to start reading more. Maybe next year."

Inoichi just nodded silently, sharing a pleased look with his wife this time. He was glad Ino had finally shown some enthusiasm towards studying and he suddenly wanted to meet the person who seemed to have inspired that in his daughter.

"You remember we're going over to Shikaku-jii-san's place for dinner in a few days, right?" He chuckled when Ino groaned. "Are Shikamaru-kun and Chouji-kun that bad?"

Ino instantly scowled. "They're so boring," She complained. "All Shikamaru does is watch clouds and call everything, and I mean everything, 'troublesome', and Chouji spends the entire time eating."

Airi giggled at this and Inoichi laughed outright. "Well," He grinned. "Why don't you invite Sakura-chan? I'm sure no one would mind if you brought a friend along so you would have someone to talk to."

Ino brightened and threw her arms around his neck. "Really?! Thanks, Tou-san! I'll ask Sakura-chan tomorrow! Now I won't be the only girl there!"

Inoichi smiled in bemusement. "You do know you have female cousins and so do the boys."

Ino rolled her eyes. "But they're all older, Tou-san. Besides, they're not my friends."

Inoichi sighed but didn't argue. His daughter was so much like his wife in that aspect. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere when Ino was being stubborn.

"Alright, that's enough," Airi cut in, sending a stern look at Ino. "Its way passed your bedtime, young lady. Up you go."

Five minutes later, Ino was tucked back into bed again and the two adults sat back at the dinner table as the clock ticked the night's minutes away.

"You just want to meet Sakura-chan," Airi pointed out after a long moment of companionable silence.

Inoichi shot a slightly guilty look at his wife. "Not entirely," He protested. "Ino will have a friend to play with and I'll finally get to meet her."

Airi just sighed. "Aren't these dinners just for our three clans?"

Inoichi waved a hand. "Most of the time, Shikaku, Chouza and I don't even talk business and I know you women just get together to exchange the latest gossip. It's just a social event. Shikaku won't mind."

Airi threw her hand in the air and rose to her feet. "If you're sure. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, darling," He said obediently, smiling faintly at his wife as she disappeared from the kitchen.

Leaning back in his chair, Inoichi turned his thoughts back to the earlier meeting. He had always pegged the Uchiha Clan Head as a stuck-up man who believed everyone was beneath him and everything unrelated to his clan was unimportant.

But Fugaku had been bewilderingly genuine in his insistence to enrol Uzumaki Naruto, going so far as to accept their help instead of maintaining his haughty nature and trying to shut them all out at the smallest sign of opposition.

Inoichi wondered who brought around this change in the man or at least convinced Fugaku to show this side of him. The Uchiha Clan was just as important as any other clan in Konoha, just as needed, and he pondered on the possibility of the clans' relations improving with each other from this point on.

If that actually came to pass, Inoichi wanted to know who he had to thank.

~E~

"Are you sure it's alright?" Sakura asked anxiously for the third time as Ino led her to the Nara compound.

"I'm sure, Sakura," Ino assured her with a roll of her eyes. "My dad said nobody would mind. Besides, these dinners are always so boring. I need someone to talk to and who better than my best friend?"

Sakura smiled even through her worry. Ino had never been one to hold back what she thought.

Ino swept past the Nara sentries with a wave and winning smile and they let her through, showing only passing interest when their gazes landed on Sakura.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my dad," Ino told her, ushering Sakura around the main house.

Sakura bit back a sigh. She knew Yamanaka Inoichi, of course; there were many who didn't, and she had worked with the Clan Head before in her own timeline before he died, not to mention she had been introduced to him by Ino the first time around as well.

"Tou-san!" Ino called out and Sakura looked up to see Konoha's top interrogator relaxing on the porch with Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chouza beside him.

Great. Not just one clan head, but three.

"Hi, Shikaku-jii-san, Chouza-jii-san," Ino greeted hastily before pushing Sakura forward and grinning proudly up at her father. "Tou-san, this is Sakura, my best friend."

Sakura was immediately pinned under three sharp gazes and her face warmed even as she ducked her head in a low bow. "Nice to meet you, Yamanaka-sama," Sakura murmured, and then because it was just plain stupid not to greet the other two as well, she turned and offered a shy smile. "Good evening, Akimichi-sama. Thank you for inviting me, Nara-sama."

There was a moment of silence where Sakura thought she had botched her introduction, but then Inoichi chuckled and Chouza smiled kindly at her as Shikaku nodded lazily.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sakura-chan," Inoichi leaned forward with an amused smile. "And there's no need to be so formal here. Inoichi is fine. Same for these two."

Sakura smiled and nodded in acceptance. She blinked when Shikaku stirred and peered at her curiously.

"Huh, you really do have pink hair," Hi remarked, ignoring the look of reproach Chouza sent him.

Sakura couldn't help smiling just a little, feeling a mixed thrum of nostalgia and agony run through her. In her own timeline, out of all her friends' parents, it was Shikamaru's father she had gotten closest to and she was also deeply affected when she heard the news of the trio's death when the Biju ball obliterated Headquarters. She was almost on par with the Nara heir in terms of intellect, Sakura was often called on to plan strategy with the Naras and she had spent more than one night slumped over their coffee table with Shikaku and Shikamaru and a stack of battle plans. She was more than familiar with Shikaku's barefaced observations.

"Yes, sir," She said in response. "My parents were pretty surprised too."

Shikaku raised and eyebrow and quirked an amused smile at her before leaning back again, his entire posture languid as if he couldn't be bothered to straighten out his spine. Sakura had to muffle another giggle.

"Help yourself to the food, Sakura-chan," Chouza put in. "The barbeque is delicious."

Sakura only had time to nod in acknowledgement before Ino was dragging her away again, point out her uncles and aunts and cousins and chattering away about what they did.

Sakura found herself relaxing in the friendly atmosphere but in between bites of food and meeting Shikamaru and Chouji's mothers, she caught a glimpse of Inoichi or Chouza or Shikaku watching her with inquisitive eyes. She didn't know if that was a good sign or not.

When Ino stopped talking to sip at some water, Sakura took the opportunity to point at two figures lounging on a grassy area near the porch where the three Clan Heads were lounging and asked, "Who are they?"

Ino turned to look before she made a face. "Oh, them. That's Shikamaru and Chouji," She hesitated for a moment before getting to her feet and motioned for Sakura to follow. "You'll probably meet them sooner or later so I'll introduce you now."

Sakura's happiness at seeing another two of her old friends was dampened by the sorrow that welled up in her simultaneously. There were times when she walked through the village, looking at everything around her still alive and flourishing, and felt like she wanted to cry. It was even worse when she saw people she knew from her previous timeline.

"Oi, Shikamaru, Chouji," Ino's voice took on a note of bossiness as she put her hands on her hips and scowled down at the two boys. "You could at least say, 'hi' when someone our age comes to these dinners. If she didn't have me, she'd be all alone."

Shikamaru didn't even bother opening his eyes but Sakura knew he had already seen her and understood who Ino was talking about.

"If she didn't have you, she wouldn't even be here," The Nara heir countered.

Beside him, Chouji was very quiet as Ino blushed and started berating Shikamaru. Sakura remembered Chouji to be rather shy and weary of other children because of his size. She remembered the way other people teased her for her hair and forehead and wondered why she never took the time to talk to Chouji when they were in the Academy together.

Well, it would be different this time.

Smiling tentatively, Sakura stepped forward and crouched down beside Chouji. "Hi," She stuck out a hand with earnest sincerity. "I'm Sakura. You must be Chouji. It's nice to meet you."

Chouji blinked first at her and then her hand as if he couldn't believe she was talking to him willingly. And then, slowly he extended a hand as well and shook hers clumsily.

"Nice to meet you too," He said, an edge of uncertainty underlying his voice.

Sakura pretended not to notice and beamed warmly at him instead. "I already met your parents; your mum's really nice."

Chouji flushed with pleasure and the tension in the line of his shoulders disappeared as he finally smiled back at her.

"She is," He agreed before blinking curiously at her hair. "You have pretty hair," He blurted out, turning even redder.

Sakura could feel herself blushing but she flashed an appreciative grin at the boy. "Thanks. Most people just think it's weird," She stopped to flash a smile at Ino, who had stopped yelling at Shikamaru and was currently staring at her like she had grown an extra limb. Shikamaru had finally opened his eyes and was peering at her as if she didn't quite know what to make of her.

"Ino chased them all away," Sakura continued. "That bullies I mean. She's my best friend."

Ino's grin was radiant when she heard Sakura's declaration and her bad mood from before disappeared like mist at high noon. She sat down on the grass, reaching out to tug Sakura down as well so she was sitting between her and Chouji before jabbing a finger at Shikamaru.

"And this is Shikamaru," She announced. "He's lazy and boring and likes to watch clouds. And he plays old man games."

Shikamaru shot the blonde an annoyed look but muttered "troublesome" before turning his attention back to Sakura.

Sakura smiled again. After her first Chuunin Exams, Shikamaru had always been like an older brother to her. When her parents died, Sakura rented a flat but more often than not, she would spend her nights in one of the Nara's guest bedrooms, one that had slowly become 'her' bedroom.

"Hi," She said. "Does 'old man games' mean shogi?"

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose with interest. "You know shogi?"

Sakura nodded, swallowing a snicker when Ino groaned beside her.

"Not you too, Sakura!" The blonde wailed. "It's bad enough that Shikamaru plays it!"

Sakura just laughed. "It's not so bad, Ino. You just need a lot of patience."

Ino scowled but accepted Sakura's quirks like she had always done before climbing to her feet. "Well, if you're going to talk about shogi, I'll go get some food for you. You didn't eat the yakiniku yet."

Chouji opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask Ino to get him some too but closed it again a moment later. Sakura frowned just a bit before piping up, "Mind bringing enough for all of us, Ino? We might as well just eat together so we don't have to keep getting up when one of us gets hungry."

Ino ponders this for a second before nodding agreeably and flounced away, making a beeline for the food set out in the centre of the compound.

Sakura smiled to herself and turned back to the boys, only to blink when she found Shikamaru sitting up and watching her with thoughtful eyes. He knew exactly what she had just done and Sakura couldn't really be surprised. It was Shikamaru after all.

He didn't bring it up thought and moved to conversation back to shogi instead. "So, you play," He said bluntly. "Are you any good?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side. At twenty-six, she had only managed to win almost half the games they had played ever since he taught her how. She had even played Shikaku, but over the span of ten years and a total of fifty-two games, she had only been able to win four times against Konoha's Head Strategist. Considering the fact that even Kakashi had only been able to beat Shikaku six times out of fifty-five, she was quite happy with her four.

At the age of five, if Shikamaru somehow managed to beat her, Sakura just may consider beating her head against a wall.

"Pretty good," She replied, and then because she knew what buttons to push, "What about you?"

Shikamaru took a mildly offended look and he actually straightened up. "I'm a Nara," He said as if it was all the explanation anyone would ever need.

Sakura blinked innocently at him and feigned ignorance. "I know you are. What does that have to do with anything?"

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at her for a moment. "All Naras can play shogi," He explained, looking mildly put-out.

Sakura waved a hand, "Anyone can play shogi. Are you good enough to beat me?"

Shikamaru actually gawked at her for a few seconds and then he was scrambling to his feet. "Wait here!" He ordered, and then he was off, running for his house as fast as he could.

Sakura burst into giggles and grinned mischievously at a bemused-looking Chouji. "He gets pretty worked up about shogi," She said wisely.

Chouji grinned back, smaller than hers but just as genuine. "He does. Clouds and shogi are practically the only things he cares about."

Sakura features softened and she leant over to knock shoulders with him. "And you, right?"

Chouji turned to look at her, clearly surprised, before his smile widened and he nodded. "Yeah, Shikamaru's my best friend."

They both looked up when they heard rapid footsteps heading their way and exchanged amused looks as Shikamaru scampered up, shogi board in hand. He plopped down right in front of her and demanded, "Let's play."

Laughing helplessly, Sakura nodded and set up her pieces as Ino returned with two plates piled up high with food. It was going to be a long evening but Sakura couldn't think of anywhere she would rather be than right there with them.

~S~

"I like her," Shikaku announced as he adjusted the chakra he was using to listen in on the children several dozen feet away.

"You must," Inoichi agreed dryly. "Eavesdropping is usually too troublesome for you and now you've stooped to eavesdropping on children."

Shikaku roll his eyes. "You started it. You're a bad influence on me."

"You're both bad influences," Chouza cut in mildly. "And when Yoshino-chan and Airi-chan catch you, you're both dead."

"You're in the same boat as we are!" Inoichi protested indignantly.

"No, I'm not," Chouza denied with an uncharacteristic smirk. "I'm not eavesdropping on anyone. Can I help it if you're relaying everything they're saying to me?"

Shikaku tuned out Inoichi's reply and heightened his eyesight instead. It was the girl's move and he wanted to know what she would do next.

Haruno Sakura was not what Shikaku expected. Of course, he didn't really expect anything at first; it was not in his nature to make up his mind about something before getting all the facts. But between everything Fugaku had told them about the girl and said girl's actual appearance – pink hair? Really? – Shikaku instinctively thought of on of those odd prodigies who had genius reflexes and a sharp mind but no clue how to blend in with the rest of civilisation or act around other people.

So, despite his typical stance on having prior expectations, Haruno Sakura was not what Shikaku expected.

When she greeted Chouji without the usual taunting other kids often started with, Shikaku approved, and when he heard, Chouza was relieved. When she calmed Ino down from the beginning of a rant with only a few simple words praising her, Shikaku was surprised, and beside him, Inoichi was glad; his daughter usually bulldozed anyone in her way when she got riled up. When she was perceptive enough to mind Chouji's feelings and smart enough to prompt Ino into getting what the Akimichi heir wanted, Shikaku was mildly impressed.

And when she caused Shikaku's own son to sit up and take interest in what she was saying, resulting in the boy being more active than Shikaku had seen in a long while, well, that just took the cake.

"Oh, not good enough," He murmured under his breath as he watched Shikamaru shift a silver general. "Should've moved the knight, brat."

Indeed, a moment later, Sakura took Shikamaru's gold general and leaving his left side wide open. Shikaku could almost feel his son's frustration.

"Is the game really so interesting, Shikaku?" Inoichi leant forward to peer in the same direction.

"She's good," Shikaku muttered in response. "Better than Shikamaru."

"Is she?" Chouza shifted forward as well. "Shikamaru-kun's really good for his age. Sakura-chan must be excellent."

"No, there's something…" Shikaku trailed off, studying the pattern of Sakura's pieces. Her playing style was strange. Unique. And yet…

"It's familiar," He said aloud as her moves clicked into place in his mind. She did not always move as he expected sometimes that was a good thing and sometimes not, but the times she did move according to his own thoughts, her style became clear. "She's playing with a Nara's hand."

Inoichi and Chouza both snapped their heads around to stare at him.

"What does that mean?" Inoichi demanded, but Shikaku ignored him, mostly because he didn't really understand at the moment.

As far as he knew, the girl had had no interactions with his Clan, and even if she had, it didn't explain how she had managed to pick up some of their style. She may be a prodigy but it often took years to incorporate someone else's approach to shogi into her own style. It didn't make sense.

Shikaku hated things that didn't make sense. It got him curious; and curiosity was just really troublesome.

With a sigh, he deactivated the chakra in his eyes as Sakura checkmated his son's king.

"Troublesome," He grumbled and rolled onto his back. He would have to keep an eye on the girl. There was something there that simply didn't add up and he wanted to figure out what it was.

But still, Haruno Sakura was definitely not what he expected.

~T~

As Sakura waited at the front of the Academy, she thought back to last night's dinner with the Naras, bringing the grand total up to four. Ever since the dinner Ino dragged her to almost two weeks ago, Shikaku had somehow wrangled her into accepting another three invitations. The fact that Shikamaru had all but demanded her return for multiple shogi games didn't help her case.

It wasn't as if she had anything against the Naras; on the contrary, she loved being back in one of the places she had spent quite a lot of time in, but there was something about the glint in Shikaku's eyes that made her pensive. She recognised that look; it was the one her time's Shikaku, and later Shikamaru, always had when something had piqued their interest, and she knew there was no stopping either of them until they knew the truth.

"Sakura-chan!" The exuberant shout automatically made her smiled and she turned to wave at Naruto.

"Good morning," She greeted as the blond ran up, hair a mess and his new shinobi-wear mussed as if he only paused long enough to throw them on haphazardly. With an exasperated sigh, Sakura reached out to still the ball of energy before tugging clothes into place.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly at her as he held out his arms obediently so she could adjust the blue-grey shirt he was wearing. Finishing by running a hand through his unruly locks, she levelled a stern look on the blond that had absolutely no effect on him. Naruto simply stared back brightly, wide blue eyes melted whatever annoyance she felt.

Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head when Naruto chuckled, obviously knowing he had ducked out of another lecture.

"Sakura! Naruto!" Sasuke was hurrying towards them, Itachi and Mikoto following at a more sedated pace. He skidded to a stop beside them, a little breathless but much neater in appearance overall than Naruto as he joined them eagerly. "Have you been waiting long?"

Sakura shook her head but Naruto immediately cracked an exaggerated yawn. "We've been waiting forever, Sasuke!" He told him, crossing his arms over the strap of his book bag. "What happened? Fell asleep in the bathroom?"

Sasuke immediately scowled back. "I wasn't asking you, dobe. Why would I care how long you had to wait?"

Sakura smiled as they began bickering again. Not a minute in each other's company and already they were arguing. She had long resigned herself to it.

It was a surprise when Sasuke announced, a few weeks back that he was enrolling as well. Sakura was more than happy of course but she was used to the Sasuke who had to be nagged into spending time with them even when he clearly wanted to and not this Sasuke who laughed and played and hated being left out of anything she and Naruto were doing. Sometimes, she still found it hard to believe.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said as she walked up, smiling fondly at her youngest son and his best friend. "Honestly, those two."

Sakura giggled and nodded in agreement. She glanced at Itachi who stared back emotionlessly. Her face instantly formed a frown.

She caught Mikoto hiding a smile out of the corner of her eye and she blinked at her in confusion but the Uchiha matriarch said nothing. Instead, she shot Itachi a pointed look that the heir may or may not have understood because, after a moment, he offered a stiff nod in her direction.

Sakura's brain immediately translated: Good morning.

Her frown morphed into a glare but she was in Mikoto's presence and screeching at Itachi was probably not a good idea.

"Good morning," She muttered instead, returning the silent salutation half-heartedly. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mikoto sigh in defeat and wondered what that was about but didn't ask.

Without waiting for another wordless reply from the human statue, Sakura turned back to Naruto and Sasuke and reached out to whack them both gently upside the head.

"Stop that!" She scolded as they turned to pout at her. "We've got school and if you get into another fight, we're going to be late, so settle down!"

They both murmured contrite apologises and Sakura grinned smugly inside. Fifteen, twenty-six, or five, she was still the boss.

"Right then, let's go," She announced.

They waved goodbye to Mikoto and Itachi before making their way into the Academy. The curriculum would be easy for her so she hoped she would get as much time as she wanted in the training yard once she showed how far ahead she was. Right now, she had to concentrate on building up her stamina and fully adjust to her five-year-old body.

~x~x~

*Two Weeks Later*

It soon became clear that the Academy, while boring to Sakura and mildly interesting to Sasuke, would be no walk in the park for Naruto. No because he was stupid and the curriculum was too hard, no; it was because the shinobi teaching them was stupid.

Sakura watched with gritted teeth as someone-or-other-sensei sneered for the umpteenth time when he returned Naruto's test. There was red scribbled all over it and Sakura didn't even have to look at it to know it was harder than everyone else's. Prior to said test, she had stayed up with Naruto reviewing and testing him and knew he knew the material.

Sakura had tried to hold her tongue, for Naruto's sake. She and Sasuke at their age knew Naruto didn't like bringing attention to the unfair way other people treated him, but enough was enough.

In her head, Inner was screaming profanities. "Motherfucking son of bitch! You call yourself a shinobi?! You're not worth the dirt that dogs piss on- "

Sakura tuned her out in favour of taking a deep breath to steady her temper as the sensei said something that made most of the class snigger. On her left, Sasuke stabbed his pencil into his workbook and made a valiant attempt at reigning in his frustration, not caring about the whole he had poked through the paper.

These shinobi were idiots, suicidally so, because Sakura was not going to sit back and take it anymore. And in her timeline, even Orochimaru learned the hard way to be wary of a pissed-off Sakura, not that it helped him much in the end.

The sensei turned away and all she noticed was Naruto's downcast eyes and hunched shoulders, and she saw red.

Sakura stood up so violently her chair skidded back and hit the wall with a loud bang. It was lucky that she sat in the back because she was fairly certain she would've injured whichever student was placed behind her.

The sensei whirled back, obviously startled, but Sakura didn't give him time to even open his mouth before she was marching forward and seizing the test paper from a frozen Naruto's hands. A cursory glance at it told her everything she needed to know.

"This," She hissed, thrusting the test in the man's face. "Is not what you told us to study for. This is fourth year material. Are you so blind you can't even tell what kind of test you're handing out?!"

The sensei's face rapidly turned an ugly shade of red. "Haruno-san," He snapped in an icy voice. "Return to your seat this instant. I will not tolerate such offensive behaviour in my class."

"That's exactly what I was going to say," She snarled, her voice so thick with fury that her words came out slightly distorted. "I won't tolerate this any longer either! What had Naruto ever done to you?!"
She took a step forward and was gratified to see the sensei step back when cracks broke out under her feet.

"Are you supposed to be a professional?" She continued, the test now crumpled beyond repair in her balled fist. She took another step forward. "Teachers are supposed to teach their students, not make sure they fail! You've don nothing but pick on Naruto like some petty five-year-old ever since term started! You should be fired! You should be demoted back to Genin! You should be stripped as shinobi, you STUPID CLOSE-MINDED INSIGNIFICANT ASSHOLE!"

Her voice had reached a point where her shriek had matured in a vicious roar by the time she finished. She was so angry that people would treat her surrogate brother like that, and even angrier that anyone would ever consider treating a child like that.

Her sensei was literally cowering in front of her and Sakura realised she had unleashed her killed intent without realising it. Luckily, it was only aimed at the man and not at the six-year-olds around them so she made no effort to pull it back.

"Sa- Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered behind her, sounding stunned and meek at the same time. She felt him pluck at her sleeve and immediately turned her head to look at him, her gaze softened as she pushed her anger away for the time being.

"It's okay," He insisted, which only infuriated Sakura more. "I don't mind; I'm used to it."

Sakura opened her mouth to refute it but someone else bet her to it.

"What do you mean 'it's okay', dobe?" Sasuke had also stood up, the most Uchiha-like glare Sakura had ever seen on present-time Sasuke carved on his face as he glowered at their sensei. "What are you, brain dead? It's definitely not okay!"

His glare switched to Naruto though it softened just a touch. "You're going to be Hokage one day; you said!" Sasuke threw out like an accusation and Naruto could only nod, looking slightly dazed.

"Well," Sasuke crossed his arms and gave the blond an unforgiving stare. "I refuse to serve under a Hokage with no backbone so either give up that dream or stop complaining and let Sakura and I do our – our job!" He faltered just a little at the end but finished with steel-like certainty as if he was daring Naruto to refuse his words.

Sakura didn't think she had ever been prouder of him.

For his part, Naruto looked shocked beyond belief and it took a moment for him to react. For several seconds, he turned first to look at Sakura, who met his gaze with all the love and loyalty of her twenty-six-year-old self, and then back at Sasuke, who even at four was convinced he was right and then at their sensei, who couldn't meet Naruto's eyes at all.

And then, motioned deliberately, Naruto sat down.

Nothing more was said between them but Sakura knew she had just witnessed the very beginning of something powerful and long-lasting.

It was Sasuke's turn to give their 'sensei' a piece of his mind and Sasuke stood back to observe, easing up on her killer intent.

"The Uchiha Clan represents back Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto," Sasuke started coolly, and when the sensei blanched and paled, Sakura realised he hadn't known.

"By denying Naruto's education at the Academy," Sasuke continued. "You are opposing the wishes of my Clan, the village Council, and the Hokage himself. If you don't want to be called in front of the Council to explain your despicable actions, I suggest you find a replacement; and fast."

Sakura thought Sasuke was channelling Itachi because that was the most formal she had ever heard him speak. She supposed that all the time he had spent following his brother around had really helped his development towards threatening people in politely phrased diatribes. Idly, she wondered when Itachi would have found the need to use a word like 'despicable'.

The sensei looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Sakura was vindictively pleased. Perhaps another wave of killer intent would send him to the hospital.

But before she could consider putting her plan into action, the door swung open and the Hokage himself walked in, followed closely by Crow.

Sakura had to try really, really hard to keep a vicious smirk from surfacing on her face.

~x~x~

"I can't believe we got in trouble!" Naruto grumbled as they wiped down all the desks in the classroom. "I mean that bastard was asking for it!"

Sakura traded an amused look with Sasuke as she scrubbed at a piece of gum under the table.

The Hokage had removed their sensei and dismissed the class for the rest of the day before turning a sever expression on Sakura and Sasuke. The two of them had been reamed out for half an hour for disrespecting a sensei no matter how badly he taught, and then they were assigned chores for the rest of the school day.

"This isn't so bad," Sakura said optimistically. "It could've been worse; we could've been expelled. Besides, you don't really have to stay, Naruto. You weren't punished."

Naruto threw a rare scowl in her direction as he started on the windows. "Yeah, I do, Sakura-chan. You two got in trouble defending me. As future Hokage, I have to take responsa-blitaly for this sort of thing."

"Responsibility, Naruto," Sakura automatically corrected, but she smiled taking the sting out of her words.

"Yeah, that," Naruto waved a hand. "Sides, this is worth seeing sensei get chewed out by the old man."

Sasuke snorted and Sakura caught the self-satisfied smirk on the boy's face. Obviously, Sasuke was very pleased with what he did today.

"We should've done that two weeks ago," He muttered instead, kicking a garbage can over to the deck he was working on. "We would've too if you hadn't been such a girl about it."

His mouth snapped close a second too late and his eyes quickly darted over to Sakura who raised an eyebrow.

"I mean girly," Sasuke amended lamely before realising it wasn't much better and fumbled for another adjective. "I mean- "

Sakura took pity on him and realised her pent-up laughter. Naruto joined in, all but cackled at the embarrassed look on Sasuke's face.

"It's fine, Sasuke," She grinned cheekily at him. "We were pretty cool today."

Sasuke really did smirk that time and 'hn'd in agreement.

Six hours later, the three of them staggered out of the school, completely exhausted but still very pleased with themselves.

Mikoto was at the gate to meet them and only sighed when she spotted their bedraggled appearance so Sakura assumed she knew what happened.

"Alright, let's get all of you back to our place," She announced, ushered the three of them in the direction of the Uchiha compound. "You can all take a bath there and then stay for dinner."

Both Sakura and Naruto brightened at the invitation. Neither of them wanted to drag themselves home in the state they are in.

As the compound came into sight, Mikoto reached out to hug Sasuke with one arm and Sakura with the other before moving forward to hug Naruto as well.

"Two weeks in and already in trouble," Mikoto just said at their questioning looks, but she smiled at the same time.

Sakura thought Uchiha Mikoto was rather proud of them too.

AN: Thank you again for all the love.

I'd like to say again, that if you plan on reviewing please, please, please do not send me, "please update soon" or "I hope you finish the next chapter soon" I really don't appreciate it and it will only make me want to put down the story.

Important: Also, once I finish catching up with all the chapters for Tempest. I will alternate between writing a chapter for either Tempest or A Little Ghost Girl. This is so I can put a bit more focus on my studies, organise my schedule and focus on making the chapters longer. Thank you for understanding.

Also, I have a tumblr where you can come join me, ask questions, throw fan theories and send prompts if you would like a short story. You can find me .com I'm always happy to talk Naruto and hey, if you want crossover stuff or something else, I'm open to anything