Eyes flew open suddenly, their owner leaping up from their bed. At first, everything seemed to blend together, colors meshing and forming blobs. Gradually, though, shapes began to form and come together like a collage. Sakura gathered herself and observed her surroundings, taking in the pink curtains with light filtering through them, the rumpled bed in the corner, and a small vanity with an oval-shaped mirror.

It took her a second, but when she realized it, her heart constricted.

She was in her old bedroom, the one she used to have in her genin days before her family moved. With nostalgia, Sakura noted the dark brown floors and the pastel yellow walls.

I can't believe it...I'm in the past. Tears burned in her eye, forcing her to blink rapidly to keep them down. Her heart was heavy, grieving over what she had lost. The strength she had lost. The friends she had lost. The life she had lost. Tsunade-sama...

Why did you do this to me?

But Sakura knew that it wasn't her sensei's fault. She chose to accept this mission, with all of its consequences, for her village. For Naruto, Ino, my parents, Kakashi-sensei...

And Sasuke.

With that thought, Sakura let out a sigh and pulled herself up. Her sense of duty as a shinobi drove her forward and forced her to collect her thoughts, putting her emotions aside. She recalled Tsunade's words, spoken to her as they parted for the last time.

"Sakura, I'm so proud of you."

She had to make her sensei proud. Even if there was no going back, even if the Tsunade she knew didn't exist anymore, she had to honor her sensei's wish of preventing the war. I will make you proud, I swear.

Sakura turned to her vanity, surveying her form from top to bottom. She couldn't believe it. Her small arms and long hair looked alien to her, almost as if she were a different person. The only things that anchored her were her minty eyes and her pastel pink hair. Otherwise, her face shape was that of a child's, and her muscles were completely undeveloped. Sakura lightly touched her face, making sure it was all real, that this wasn't just some twisted genjutsu or dream she was living. No, this is happening.

She glanced at the calendar in her room, trying to get her bearings at the current time. The date read "October 15", surrounded by a heart drawn in red pen. Inside the date box were the words, "Graduation Day". So that's when the scroll transported her to. If so, she better hurry. Orientation at the Academy would be started soon, and she didn't want to get there late or cause any disturbance. Hastily, Sakura changed out of her pajamas and put on her signature scarlet qipao dress with the bold circular Haruno Clan symbol on the back. Underneath, she wore bottle-green spandex shorts and clipped on a weapon holster to her right thigh, tossing in what few shuriken and kunai she found laying in her drawer. Around her hair, she tied the navy blue forehead protector with the Leaf Village symbol engraved on it. She touched the forehead protector, running her hand across the symbol, and reminded herself of her duty.

This is for the village. Not myself, but the village.

As she eyed herself in the mirror, not really caring about her appearance but still out of habit, a shrill shout rung through the walls.

"Sakura! You're going to be late! You should be heading out soon!"

If it wasn't already in pieces, the sound of her mother's voice broke Sakura's heart. The sudden, painful urge to go run to her mother and seek safety in her arms was almost too overwhelming, but the shinobi in Sakura coerced her to remain in place. Come on Sakura, stop it. If you react this way every time you see someone from the past, you'll never be able to complete this mission.

"I'm almost done, Mom," Sakura responded, trying to keep her voice even. Unfortunately, her mom knew her too well, even at this age.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Mebuki's voice could be heard coming closer, and Sakura's palm started sweating. I can't see her. If I do, I'm sure I'll break down. Not sparing a second, Sakura sprinted to the other side of the room.

"Sakura? Sweetheart, I'm coming in." But when Mebuki opened the door, all she could see was a messy bed and an open window.

That was too close for comfort, Sakura sighed in relief as she walked through the streets of Konoha. The old Konoha, Sakura corrected as she saw only four faces carved on the mountainside overlooking the village. There were few people strolling about this early morning. Most of them were tucked away in their beds, enjoying the sweet sleep mornings offered. The few that were out, though, were mostly shopkeepers and vendors, setting up their booths and shops to prepare for the afternoon crowd. Sakura ran a hand down her silky long locks, adjusting to the new extensions she had acquired over the time skip. I'm not sure if I want to leave it alone or cut it again.

As she debated the pros and cons of cutting her hair in her head, Sakura spotted a familiar blonde ponytail in the crowd. Ino!

The time-traveler panicked for a second, nervous about seeing her friend again and afraid that she would pick up the differences in Sakura's behavior. Or figure out that I'm not the Sakura she knows at all. This thought only further frightened Sakura, but before she could escape, Ino spotted her.

"Hey Billboard Brow," Ino taunted, "what's it like being a kunoichi in training? Honestly, I'm surprised you made it this far." She flipped her golden locks, jutting her hip out with a smug look in her baby blue eyes. "You should enjoy it while it lasts before they realize their mistake of letting you graduate."

In an instant, all of the shock Sakura had of seeing her old friend evaporated and her sassy Inner appeared in her mind, bold and bright with the intent to fight. Stupid Ino! Thinks she can pick a fight with me like that?

"The surprise is mutual, Pig. I hope you realize that we're not in the Academy anymore, though. You're crappy playground insults don't even register to me. I do my smack talking at the training grounds now, like a real kunoichi. You can join me when you learn how to throw a kunai properly." With that, Sakura flipped her rose hair right back at her and strode ahead. Her clever eyes shone with mischief and her lips pulled up into a smirk. Take that Ino! Eat it! CHA!

It wasn't long before Sakura heard a shout from behind her and fast footsteps with the intent to catch her. "Hey! Just wait, Forehead Girl, I'm not finished with you! Are you even listening to me?" The two girls growled at each other as they raced down the streets to the Academy building. On Sakura's part, she didn't know what came over her. I guess I just miss fighting with Ino like this, she mused. It was comforting, she reflected, that the worst of the problems she had were Ino insulting her forehead and getting away with it. This time, though, there were much worse issues she had to deal with, mainly the shadow of war casting over her head. The idea was still far off for the moment, even to the village leaders, but the time-traveler knew how quickly things would change. And how far downhill they would decline.

Both of the girls burst through the classroom doors, growling at each other with fury. Well, it was mostly one-sided from Ino's part. Sakura was busy staring in awe at the younger version of her classmates.

Ino wasn't much different from herself in the future. She still had her long, Barbie-like ponytail and purple top with a skirt. Despite her change in attitude towards Sakura, Ino had retained most of her childish personality and quick temper. Maybe that was what was most comforting about Ino. Consistency. However, this could not be said about the rest of Rookie Nine. The first person Sakura had spotted was Hinata, who was sitting in a corner, twidling her fingers, whilst reading a short novel. Her glassy eyes were angled down at her book and her violet hair was cut short at the bottom, which was slightly disorienting to the medic. She hadn't seen Hinata wear her hair in that style for years. Next to the Hyuuga was Kiba, much the same as his future counterpart.

Sakura's eyes scanned the room, noting the familiar classroom setting, before finally settling on one genin who was staring at her. Her eyes widened as she bit back a smile, excitement coursing through her veins. Slowly, she made her way across the classroom until she was standing in front of him, giddy beyond belief.

"Good morning Naruto." For a moment, there was a pause in the classroom. Everyone's mouth seemed agape as they stared at Sakura with astonishment. Geez, was being mean to Naruto a staple of my existence?

Naruto's face lit up once he realized that he was being addressed by her. "Good morning Sakura-chan!" A light rosy tint rested on his cheeks as an ear-splitting grin spread across his face. "Sit next to me!" He paused for a moment, then added, as an afterthought, "Please?"

She hid a giggle under her breath and slowly nodded, glad to see her best friend. Naruto's sunny hair stuck out like an explosion and was only slightly wilder than his future self's. Crystal blue eyes held a starry look as they followed Sakura, watching her take a seat next to him with excitement. Unfortunately for Sakura, she didn't take into account that Naruto was already sitting in the same row as Sasuke. This thought occurred to her as she sat down, and her head swiveled to the left at lighting speed.

Contrasting his fair skin, Sasuke's raven hair stuck up at the back, matching well with his navy blue, high-collar shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back. His eyes were like obsidian, watching the front of the classroom with an intensity unrivaled. What's he looking at? Sakura followed his stare and noticed that he was just looking at the front of the classroom. Which was empty. Is he in love with the blackboard or something?

Cha! A stupid blackboard? No way it can compete with me!

She quickly silenced her jealous Inner and shook the silly thought out of her head, trying to discreetly watch the boy next to her. Strangely, she didn't feel anything as she looked at him. All she felt was the dull ache that had existed within her ever since he rejected her, the old pain of heartbreak that refused to go away. Her heart did speed up a bit, as it always had, and her cheeks did heat up a bit, but the only thing filling her heart right now was the sadness of a love lost.

"Good morning class. I must say that I'm surprised. Most of you are on time this morning." The pink-haired kunoichi shifted her eyes to the front of the classroom, where Iruka-sensei settled down his books and papers. "But that's probably because today's an important day for you all. Today's the day you take your first step into the immense world of the ninja. Your first day as Genin."

His laidback tone did nothing to put Sakura's nervous demeanor to ease. Today was when it all started. This crazy ride that eventually led us to war and ruin. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand. Naruto's boisterous smile awaited her, his eyes conveying all the excitement that his smile could not. She gave him a sweet, genuine smile back. Well, not everything led to war and ruin.

"Now, to assign your three-man squads! Let's start with..." Iruka-sensei rattled on, naming various squads and team members. There were countless sighs, snarls, and cheerful shouts going around the room as they were being recited. "Now, Team 7..."

Here we go.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto let go of her hand and raised his head in surprise.

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura giggled under her breath as Naruto jumped out of his seat in joy.

"and Sasuke Uchiha." With these last words, Naruto came crashing back down in his seat with a mournful groan.

"Why, Iruka-sensei, do I have to be with this guy?" He growled at the Uchiha and narrowed his eyes in disgust. "He's only gonna slow me down!"

Sasuke grunted in reply, apparently thinking it too much effort to deal with Naruto at the moment. Sakura, feeling bad for him, offered him a small smile in greeting when he glanced her way. He merely stared back at her curiously for a couple of moments, before losing interest completely and turning back to the front of the classroom.

Sakura scoffed at him, slightly offended that he didn't even acknowledge her, but eventually shook it off as she was used to his cold behavior. Once an a**hole, always an a**hole.

Lunch flew by fast, though most of her's was spent with Naruto casually chatting under the summer trees. On rare occasions, she spotted Sasuke's chakra lurking about in the forest near them, probably curious as to why they were getting along so well. The kunoichi just ignored him, slightly irritated that he was too arrogant to try to speak to them.

Once the bell rang to signal that lunch was over, Sakura walked with her blonde teammate back to the classroom where they were told to await their Jonin sensei. When they arrived, they found that Sasuke was already there, sitting at one of the benches and staring at the blackboard.

And so their forbidden romance continues...

A sigh of exasperation escaped her throat as she moved to sit down next to Sasuke. Naruto was a lovely friend and all, and she was glad to have him, but sometimes he was just so...noisy. She relished in the silence Sasuke offered while Naruto plotted an eraser scheme for their late sensei. At first, he squirmed in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with Sakura's proximity. Over time though, he eased into his seat once he noticed that she was staying. Rolling his eyes, he shifted them back over to the front of the classroom, eyes squinted intensely. Curiosity gripped Sakura as she too squinted her eyes, moving her head closer to Sasuke to get a view of what he was looking at. The raven-haired boy gave her a 'do you mind' look, which she purposefully ignored.

"What are you looking at?"

The Uchiha whipped his head towards her as if surprised she was speaking to him. "What?"

"What are you looking at?" She repeated, curious green eyes boring into his ebony ones. He paused for a moment, as if deciding to answer the question or not, then turned his head back to the blackboard.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

At this, the boy was silent, clearly regretting responding to the meddling girl next to him.

"Ya! About what, Sasuke?" Naruto shouted from across the room. "Thinking about how I'm gonna show you up to our jonin sensei? Who is super late, by the way. Who let this guy become a ninja anyway? Aren't ninja supposed to always be at the right place at the right time?" The boy huffed and stuck out his hand, pointing a finger at Sasuke. "This is your fault! I know it. He just doesn't want to be part of a team with someone like you, Sasuke."

Sasuke scoffed. "Get a brain, dobe. How could it be my fault that he is late?"

"He- he," Naruto stuttered, furiously thinking of a rebuttal. "...is disappointed that he has a careless ninja like you on his team!"

This seemed to strike a chord in Sasuke, and the next thing Naruto knew a bone-chilling glare was focused on him. "Look, I'm serious about being a ninja. I'm not chasing some stupid Hokage dream or..." he side-eyed Sakura. "Just don't get in my way." The shinobi in training spat out the words, his tone condescending and stone cold. The silence following after the threatening words was just as frigid, shocking both Naruto and Sakura to their core.

Fingers clenched into tight fists and fire burst through the kunoichi's veins. Who does he think he is, some great god better than us?

Sakura clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes at her teammate. "Look, Sasuke, we're all serious about being ninja, so step down from your high horse and realize that you're not the only one with goals in this room. " She motioned to the blonde boy next to her. "Naruto's dream is not stupid, it's ambitious, and he has every right to chase it! Wake up and realize that we are your teammates, Sasuke. That means we are going to be the only ones watching your back in battle."

She pushed back her chair and stood up, glaring intensely at the shocked boy in front of her. "I suggest you don't make enemies with us so fast."

With that last statement, the only thing that could be heard in the classroom was the screeching of the chair as Sakura moved to stand next to Naruto. Both of the boys stood there, shocked into silence, trying to take in the sudden uncharacteristic outburst from their female teammate. The thing that made it uncharacteristic was that this time, her outburst was aimed at Sasuke, not Naruto. Also, the slight undertone of malice mirrored the Uchiha's earlier tone, which was very unexpected from the girl.

The only thing that broke the heavy atmosphere it induced was the soft sound of footsteps and a thud as an eraser fell to the floor. All three heads in the room whipped towards the new figure, who was busy brushing the eraser dust from his head.

Naruto, who seemed to forget all about his prank, burst out into laughter, apparently quickly shaking off the previous scene. The other two genin, though, didn't budge, even when their new sensei entered the room. Jagged jade met edged ebony, piercing glares digging into each other's souls. It wasn't until their sensei cleared his throat when they looked away, both parties narrowing their eyes one last time before finally breaking apart.

"Hm. How can I put this? My first impression of this group is that...

...this is going to be very interesting."

Hey guys!

I hope you enjoyed the first two chapters. They are just to give you a taste of what this story is going to be like. Don't worry- it'll separate from canon soon. I'm just laying the foundation of their meeting and the different relationship dynamics that develop as the story progresses.

Here are a couple of questions:

Do you think that Naruto and Sasuke were in character?

Were Sakura's emotions and reflections after the time jump realistic, or do you think she adjusted too easily? (My thought process was that she already knew about her mission so she came slightly prepared)

One theme that I'm trying to incorporate in the story is Sakura's sense of duty to fixing her village and not living her life for herself, but for the village. Do you think she will stick to it? How do you think this will affect her?

Thanks for reading!