She walks along the river that will eventually lead her to the hill her team is supposed to meet at. Her clone is there so no one will miss her.
Did he notice me? I shouldn't have used that stupid body scrub my mom got me. She usually threw the damn icky stuff away but the last two times her mom found it in the trash she had gotten yelled at.
Sakura didn't care if she got yelled at. Usually, she just went over her mental list of people she wanted to murder in her head till her mom got tired of nagging her but it was starting to happen more frequently and now it was becoming….annoying. She hated being annoyed.
It was a beautiful day. The sun had broken the night and the clouds hung low making it easy to breathe. She stopped by a large rock. This was her usual spot. Sometimes she would come here to read or to practice her water Jutsu alone.
She had two chakra natures. Some might argue that she had three, but she did not consider perfect chakra control and healing to be a chakra nature.
After jumping onto her rock she stretched and gave a quick look around to make sure she was alone. She had continued to suppress her chakra as she walked through the woods because she didn't want anyone to know how much she had advance these last two years on her own.
No one knew she was an earth and water chakra nature. She found out on her own by accident one day.
_Falshback_
The girls from the academy had been picking on her again and she was crying on the bench after she had run away. Ok, she was crying on the walkway, because she hadn't made it to the bench before breaking down.
She had hated the other kids, mostly the girls. She had a wide forehead, so what? She had a big brain, had to keep it in somehow right?
She remembers that was the day she decided she was not going to let it bother her anymore. That was the day she grew a pair and stood up, fists clenched and kicked a rock. Yes, she kicked a rock the size of a basketball, and it shattered to dust before her eyes.
Sakura had run home so fast that day she hadn't noticed a crow sitting on the park bench watching her.
It was the next week she found out about her water nature. She was cooking dinner for herself because her parents were in the next town checking on one of their shops. She came from a civilian family of merchants. She had walked out of the room just once and the towel had fallen off the hook and caught fire.
She had meant to use the teleportation Jutsu she had just taught herself to teleport the burning rag to the sink but instead had called forth a stream of water and put the fire out.
It was shocking.
The next day she had gone to the library and proceeded to read everything she could about earth and water release Jutsu. It took her one week to read the entire archives and she started her self training the next day.
Out in the woods, far away from the usual places is where she trained. Thanks to the first Hokage there were a lot of dense tree laden forests with rivers and small streams.
There would be times she would train so hard she fell asleep by the river or if she knew she wouldn't be able to make it home she would make a small lean to and sleep there.
It was peaceful, and she could concentrate. After going there for a few months she started making a real cabin. It was small but her earth and water release was getting better and better so she made herself a makeshift home for when she needed to sleep in the woods.
The walls were made from rough planks she had cut with her water release, water severing wave. She had used earth style, rising stone pillars to support her planked walls and then planks for a roof. Earth style, mud wall on the perimeter sealed any chinks and made it cool in the summer and with a fire warm in the winter.
It was perfect. She would sit outside in the summer by her fire and listen to the forest. The animals got used to her presence and stopped running away from her.
There was a deer that would come sometimes and she would feed it vegetables from her bento. Squirrels made nets in the trees by her cabin and would quarrel as she practiced. There was a crow that would come watch her sometimes.
The crow was her favorite. She felt a connection to him that was different than the deer or the squirrels. One day she had tried to do the second Hokages water style, heavenly weeping.
A technique in which chakra is kneaded in the user's body, transformed into water and then shaped into senbon in the mouth before finally being expelled at a high velocity. The needles are shot in an attempt to catch the enemy off guard, while also aiming at their vitals. A Jutsu worth learning
It had taken almost all of her chakra and she had collapsed. When she woke she was in her cabin on her sleeping pallet. There was a fire in her pit that she kept in the corner with venting to the glassless window and hanging from her ceiling above her head was a take out box of Dango, tied up to keep the animals from it.
When she opened the box a note fell out: It is ok to take a break when you have come so far alone.
What the hell?
_End Flashback_
Time to practice her water style Jutsu for a little bit then she would meet up with her new team before their sensei got there. She had sensed his chakra heading for the liquor store after she teleported away and knew she was safe. He hadn't noticed her watching him. She figured she had another hour maybe two to practice.
It was easier to practice water style by the river with the existing source of water but she could make her own water using her chakra. It had taken her a year to perfect the water release technique without having to use an outside water source.
She began with something simple for her. Water clones. Taking a deep breath and focusing her precise chakra, "Water release Water Clone Jutsu!" 25 clones poofed into existence before her.
After dispersing the clones she took another breath, stretched to the left then right releasing the pressure on her abdomen and, "Water Release, Water severing Wave" high power jets of water shot out of the river, across to the other side and cut through several trees that came crashing to the ground with a horribly loud noise.
"Oh shit" She teleported deeper into the forest in the direction of the hill her clone was sitting. Chakra signatures were flying to her last location.
"Crap, time to go." Teleporting again she came up from the steep side of the hill where her teammates were waiting. She dismissed her clone and ran up the hill when Naruto and Sasuke's backs were turned looking off into the distance, where a murder of crows had just erupted.
"Man what the heck was that! It was so loud! I wonder if it was a tornado?" Naruto was saying.
Sakura sat down where her clone had been sitting.
"It wasn't a tornado idiot." Sasuke sneered at Naruto and turned around.
He gave her a funny look and she realized she wasn't staring at him adoringly. Whoops! She formed her face into a simperingly sickly sweet smile.
"That was so scary Sasuke!" She whined.
He turned back around without saying anything.
-Asshole-
"Don't worry Sakura Chan, I will protect you!" Naruto ran to her side and she almost stabbed him with the kunai she had tucked into her spandex shorts but didn't.
"That's ok Naruto, I don't want you to protect me, I want Sasuke to!" She all but yelled at him, making goo goo eyes at Sasuke's back. "He's soooo coool."
-I mean, useless-
They waited there for another thirty minutes or so till a small puff of smoke announced the arrival of their sensei.
Naruto jumped from a sitting position and almost fell over, Sasuke flinched a bit then went back to looking bored. Sakura hadn't moved or looked up just snorted, then she seemed to remember herself," Oh sensei, so sudden, you scared me." She tried to stammer.
-I can smell the liquor on you old man...is that peppermint?-
She froze in her seat. Oh shit, did he? Why would he ...impossible. He wouldn't be expecting it.
"Sorry I'm late, you see this black cat, and then so yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck as though embarrassed.
-Such a liar, terrible actor-
"Oh and Sakura. Sorry for scaring you. Next time I'll send my water clone to warn you." He gave her a big smile under his masked face and his eye crinkled closed.
-water clone hum….he knew. His smile is so fake-
"Oh no, sensei that might scare me even more." She said with mock worry that she hoped sounded real.
-two can play at this game dick-
"What are we going to do, what's our mission!" Naruto was rocking back and forth in his seat in his excitement.
"Survival test, you have 3 hours to take these two bells from me," he was saying…" until the bell rings ….."
-blah blah blah, teamwork duh, he is trying to see if we can work as a team duh-
"Go!"
Sasuke and her scattered. Naruto stayed where he was.
-he has guts, or he is an idiot-
Kakashi and Naruto play around a bit. Sakura waits under a bush. How should I handle this? Sasuke hasn't moved, where was he? Oh, there he is. Idiot. Can't suppress his chakra. Oh shit, I didn't release mine. She releases just enough for a genin of this level.
Kakashi turns toward her.
-fuck fuck fuck did he notice?-
Kakashi pulls out a book from his pack and starts to read. She nearly bursts out laughing. That's what he had in there? She can't blame him for reading, this is pathetic. A small smile graces his lips.
Sasuke throws a kunai at Kakashi and then takes off running. Moron gave away his position. She sighs, my turn.
"Sasuke? Where are you?" She runs off in the direction he went.
She feels the air change around her like she just walked into a cold room. Genjutsu, a weak one too, she almost scoffs. Her fingers twitch to make the hand sign to release it. She stops herself.
Stumbling a little for show, she watches the genjutsu play out, she knows she is supposed to scream at the fake Sasuke, "AHHHH oh no Sasuke what happened!", was that good enough. I should faint she thinks. She falls over.
Kakashi's signature is moving away back toward naruto. She does the hand sign and releases the weak genjutsu. A crow caws from a nearby branch as she goes to find Sasuke.
I have to find the asshole and make him work with me, then we can get Naruto. She heads off to the field where she can feel Sasuke's chakra signature coming from.
As she is helping him out of the ground a timer rings. Damn.
She and Sasuke walk back to Naruto and Kakashi.
"You fail...blah blah blah, teamwork….you get lunch, you dont….be back….. Blah blah" Kakashi leaves.
"Sasuke gives Naruto half of your lunch." She tells Sasuke.
He looks at her, nods then move to Naruto to feed him.
"What no, we will all fail!" Naruto protests.
"We will all fail if you are weak too, eat idiot." She says to Naruto.
Naruto takes the bite Sasuke is holding out to him and swallows.
Kakashi appears in a cloud of smoke talking in what he thinks is a spooky voice. "YOU! HOW DARE YOU! YOU ALL FAIL, blah blah, RULES, blah blah."
Sakura can't help it, she rolls her eyes, seriously? So dramatic this guy.
Kakashi stops and gives her a look. She looks at him. Shit.
She starts crying, "I'm so sorry sensei, it is all my fault, please don't punish Naruto and Sasuke Kun. "
"No, we decided together, we're a team," Sasuke says.
"Team?" Kakashi asks them.
All three of them nod.
"You pass."
-asshole-
Sasuke nods to her once while Naruto is yelling and cheering and waving his legs around like a moron even though he is tied to a post or something.
"See you tomorrow for your first real mission!" Kakashi gives his fake smile to them again.
-it makes me want to stab you in the neck and carve you out a bloody necklace-
Sasuke and Naruto have left. She hadn't realized in her homicidal musing she was alone with Kakashi.
"Well, see you tomorrow." She starts to walk away.
"Sakura." His voice is different.
She turns around to face him again. "Yes?"
He quirks one eyebrow at her.
"I mean, yes sensei?" She corrects herself.
"Why was your chakra suppressed earlier Sakura?" He asked her flat toned.
"You are mistaken, I do not have the skill to do that." She says more or less politely.
"I wonder." He is looking her up and down, taking in her stance her dress, her pack.
-This fucking guy, will he ruin everything, why couldn't she have gotten someone else for a sensei, not Cold-blooded Killer Kakashi, Friend Killer Kakashi, the Great fucking Copy nin of Konoha, Anbu Captain-
"Do you." She started to walk away again. He was in front of her before she took another step.
"Who are you?" He went to grab her arm but she lept back into a crouch.
-this fucking asshole, he did that on purpose!-
Kakashi smiled. "Well well, this is very interesting."
"I am Haruno Sakura, age 12, Genin, part of the newly formed Team 7 of Konoha, Sensei." she bowed not dropping her eyes from his eye.
He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You did ask who I was didn't you?" She asked him innocently.
"You need to work on your consistency Haruno Sakura, Genin." He smiled.
-he knows….he knows….fight or flight, fight or flight!-
"And you need to lay off the bottle on the way to train us…..sensei." She smiled.
"Your smell identifies you." He said.
"So does your twitch." She retorted.
"Who are you?" He asks again.
"I told you." She was getting bored of this.
"See you tomorrow morning Sakura-chan!" He crinkle smiled at her and poofed away.
"Indeed." She muttered to herself.
She walked down the hill, no teleporting for her right now. A crow flew out of a nearby tree heading off to the woods heading out of Konoha.
Fine, if he wants to play that game I can play that game.