Mendoukusei 4.

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in the dinning room with Sasuke-kun, Adonis in the flesh i.e. Itachi and their parents. The food had been served and I had Naruto's hands in one of my killer grips to prevent him from devouring all the rice balls before everyone else settled down.

Itachi now had a black t-shirt on. His jeans, though, were still open and I could still see his boxers. Sasuke-kun had shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Naruto, as usual wore his orange sweats and a yellow T-shirt that almost matched the colour of his hair.

"Sakura-chan, let go. It's time to eat. Look, even Fugaku-otoo-san and Mikoto-kaa-chan agree with me. I promise I'll leave a rice ball for you, temee and Itachi-Taichou to share."

Sasuke-kun frowned, his mother smiled, his father's lips slightly twitched, I snarled and Itachi grunted.

"Let him go." Sasuke-kun's father stated, fighting off an amused smirk. I sighed and did as he requested. Naruto promptly began piling his plate with ramen and rice balls.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Conversation consisted mostly of the upcoming ANBU exams (my impending doom) and the chuunin exams three weeks later in Iwa.

"Are you trying out for ANBU, Sakura dear?" Sasuke-kun's mother asked politely.

I nodded, helping myself to another rice ball. The Uchiha matriarch's rice balls were the best I'd ever tasted, after tempura.

"How lovely. You'll be the first kunoichi of your generation to enter if you do indeed pass, right?"

I nodded, blushing slightly. Being the Hokage's apprentice, everyone had very high expectations of me. As usual, all the major clan heads and respective councils were going to be present, together with the Konoha council and probably the daimyo and his family. Being the first kunoichi of the Rookie nine to apply for ANBU would definitely make them pay closer attention than normal. Shishou and Kakashi-sensei had made it abundantly clear that they expected me to enter ANBU.

The matriarch smiled at me again, and we settled into a comfortable silence. Dinner was eventually over, and before I left, I asked Sasuke-kun if his mother also invited his brother's ANBU team over for dinner often.

"She does. It's normally very annoying, but I have to suck it up because aniki sucks up my team over." We both thanked the family for having us for dinner (or rather, I gracefully thanked them while Naruto just yelled, "Arigato, Uchiha-sama,") I dragged Naruto towards the gate and we both made our way to our separate homes.

As I walked home, I debated about going to the bar, but immediately disregarded it. Kakashi-sensei was, in Shisui's words, getting his ass beat by Shishou tomorrow, and I definitely didn't want to miss that. I decided to go home and sleep and dream about Uchiha Taichou and his delectable abs.

That bloody, annoying bell woke me up the next day, and the second it started ringing, I reached my hand out from under the covers and crashed it flat like a pancake in order to shut it up.

Man, my chakra control really sucks when I wake up. This was the eighth clock I'd broken this month. Guess I'd have to buy another one later on.

I groggily got out of bed and prepared myself to go to the Hokage tower. I took longer than necessary because I was being extra ordinarily lazy. Jeez, I really needed to stop playing shogi with Shikamaru. Maybe his laziness was getting to me. I should find a new shogi partner. Perhaps Neji would do? I made a mental note to ask him later on.

I arrived just in time to see Shishou getting ready to go to the training grounds and beat Kakashi-sensei to a silver-haired pulp.

"It's good you're here, Sakura. I was wondering who was going to heal that bastard's injuries. Shizune can't because she's got work to do-" I snorted "-so I need a medic of high calibre, because by the time I'll be done with him, he'll think twice before pulling such stunts again," she growled, cracking her knuckles.

Oooh, Kakashi-sensei was doomed, that was a given. Shishou never cracked her knuckles. If she did, well, there would be hell to pay.

It was turning out to be a very interesting day indeed, maybe even more interesting than the day I was doing a recon with Neji's ANBU team and some Kiri kunoichi flashed her boobs us, leading to very heavy nosebleeds on his two subordinates' parts and a raised eyebrow from both Neji and I. Then two said subordinates couldn't believe how Neji could still think straight after some woman, quote 'flashed her boobies in his face' unquote, hence starting the rumour that he was probably gay. His fangirls cried for weeks on end.

Good times.

We got to Training Ground Eight (with the three poles that reminded me as my first day as a genin. Aah, the memories) and found Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Hana, Shisui (with Icha Icha in hand) and Genma.

I went and stood between Naruto and Sasuke-kun as Shishou stood in the middle of the grounds, waiting for my chronically tardy sensei. Her eyebrow began twitching. Patience plus her temper were never a good combination.

This was gonna be an awesome day.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke and a swirl of leaves appeared. When they disappeared, there stood Kakashi-sensei and Uchiha Taichou. Both were dressed in full ANBU uniform. Uchiha Taichou went and stood between Genma and Shisui, while Kakashi-sensei remained where he was, directly in front of Shishou.

"Good morning, Tsunade-sama," he drawled.

Shishou didn't say anything. She just growled.

Kakashi-sensei very audibly gulped.

Shishou's heel hit the ground, and a very large fissure developed.

Then the battle begun.

"How long d'you think he's gonna last before she stops?" Hana asked, as we watched Kakashi-sensei be punched through four trees.

"No idea. This is Kakashi we're talking about. He's been hanging around my captain too much, hence some of that Uchiha pride has gotten to him, meaning he won't give up till he's beat within an inch of his life, or probably till he blacks out." Genma replied, moving slightly out of the the way as a katon goukakyuu roared past.

"I really wonder why Kakashi likes pissing off Godaime when he knows what's gonna happen to him anyway. For a genius, he really is stupid." Sasuke-kun said nonchalantly, ducking as the subject of our conversation zoomed above his head into the lake behind us.

I looked at Sasuke-kun and raised an eyebrow. "You're really not one to talk, Sasuke-kun." I snorted. That earned me a typical Uchiha patented glare, which I was already immune to as an after effect of having an Uchiha in my team from genin-hood to jounin-hood. By then, Shishou had punched the ground again, causing all of us to jump in the air and wait for the ground to stop breaking apart.

"Caving in now, Hatake? I've broken your left wrist, making you unable to form any seals. Just give up already." Shishou howled, looking like a mess herself. Kakashi-sensei, I'm sure, must have had some pretty decent hits himself. She was limping, and was bleeding form her mouth and her nose. She had bruises and cuts all over her body.

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama?" Uchiha Taichou asked, speaking for the first time in this apparent spar. Kami, if Kakashi-sensei and Shihsou could call beating each other up to bloody pulps 'spars', then clearly, they went all out when it came to battles against enemies.

I haven't been in a team with Kakashi-sensei for two years now, and since he rejoined ANBU, Sasuke-kun and Naruto tell me he's even more brutally ruthless than we ever saw him.

"Che, I'm fine, Uchiha. I'm your bloody Hokage, for Kami's sake. What the hell d'you take me for?" Shishou replied, looking sharply at Uchiha Taichou. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you asking about your fellow captain anyway?" she said, looking in the direction of the lake, where my wet sensei was groaning.

"Kakashi can take care of himself."

"Really? And I can't? Are you insinuating that I'm too old, you brat?"

"I am simply doing my duty as an ANBU captain by guarding you in absence of your regular ANBU guards. Isn't this the reason why you have Genma-san, I, Naruto-kun and my otouto here?" Uchiha Taichou questioned politely.

Shishou smirked. "You really are a one of a kind prodigy. Your genius never fails to impress me. Why d'you think Hana's here?"

"To make sure that nobody inappropriate wanders this way while you and Kakashi spar."

Shihsou turned back to me. "Go heal him. I'm sure I've damaged quite a significant number of his internal organs. He's too beat to even call for help. Tell him to come to my office the second he's considered able by you. If he escapes from the hospital again, fell free to bring him back here and re-enforce this beating. Now scram, so that I can heal myself. Brat's still as good as ever. Burnt off half of my skin with his stupid goukakyuu."

I turned, smiling wryly and shaking my head, leaving Shishou grumbling to herself as I headed for my poor, beat up sensei. I did some minor first aid, before plopping him on my shoulder and heading off to the hospital.

Many hours later, (I wasn't keeping count because I depleted a good chunk of my chakra reserves healing Kakashi-sensei), I decided to go home and sleep. Naruto made me swear on my honour as a Konoha kunoichi to turn up in the bar later on. Apparently everyone of the Rookie nine was gonna be there, so it was a perfect excuse to just get drunk.

I walked into the loud, dark club and immediately spotted a blonde head and a raven one.

"Yo, Sakura-chan, over here." I saw Naruto yelling for me and went over to the table where him and Sasuke-kun were sitting.

I had just sat down and was ordering my drink when Sasuke-kun turned to me with a smirk on his face.

I immediately gulped. Sasuke-kun never just randomly smirks at anyone, not even us, former Team Seven.

"Aniki suggested to Godaime to put you on his team if you passed your exams tomorrow." He drawled, very obviously enjoying himself.

I promptly chocked on my drink and spat out that which was left in my mouth. "What?" I gasped.

"You heard me Sakura. There's a very high chance of you getting into aniki's team if you make it into ANBU."

I couldn't believe it. For the next ten minutes, I just sat there, stunned. How the hell did he know? I asked him about it.

"I was there when he asked it." He replied.

My hands played with the glass full my new drink again. "How d'you know if she'll approve. D'you really think she'll put me in his team?"

Sasuke-kun rolled his eyes. "You know her better than I do. I think that's a question you're more suited to answer than me. Yet again, we both know what the answer is."

I sighed. The sad thing was, he is right.

I frowned. Dammit.

I am one of the best medics in Konoha, second from Shishou and Shizune nee-san. My teammates once constituted the legendary Copy Nin, the kyuubi jinchuuriki and an Uchiha. I am the protégé of the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

All the above made me arguably the most powerful kunoichi of my generation. I even highly suspect it's the reason Tsunade Shihsou and Kakashi-sensei want me to join ANBU so bad. One of the most formidable ANBU teams is short one member. What better person to fill that place than a medic of high calibre such as myself?

I knew my life just sucked. It was time to get totally wasted.