As it turned out, Sakura didn't need to do anything more than what she had already done.

And what had she done? It was a happy accident, but surprisingly in meeting Shisui this time around, Sakura found herself and Naruto invited to the Uchiha compound or to the training ground with them. Sasuke was utterly against it, pouting because his time with his brother was now being shared with two more people.

But he warmed up to the idea once he realized his mother was going to make him do all the chores if he kept being rude to his friends. Sasuke always reminded his mother that she and Naruto were not his friends, but his mother would smile knowingly and ruffle his hair.

And apparently, their presence in the compound almost daily led to a lessened animosity towards the rest of Konoha. After all, if the kid with the Kyuubi in him and a pink-haired civilian raised ninja to be liked the head family so much, then there was hope, right?

Sakura didn't want to think about how convenient it would be for the Uchiha clan to have the Kyuubi on their leash. Nor did she want to admit that it was most likely the reason the coup was held off.

The days leading up to the massacre in her old timeline were filled with a 'training camp' set up by Shisui for the three of them. He essentially picked on them for hours on end before they all collapsed by a fire he set up. And that's when Sakura realized that for an Uchiha, Sasuke was incredibly slow compared to his cousin. In her old timeline, of course.

Shisui was fast and he had way too much time on his hands. He found it entertaining to torture them.

Okay, he tortured the boys. Whenever he found her, he'd offer a treat and sit down with her for a few minutes before asking her if she wanted to help him pummel them boys. Some days she said yes-- especially if Sasuke had been particularly rude or Naruto incredibly inappropriate. Others she would shake her head and be content watching the sky.

She wondered if this whole time reversal thing also reversed some of her emotional development over the years. But she would inevitably shrug off the thought. Even if that was the case, it wouldn't hurt for her to develop as an even better friend and person.

After all, she stopped the Uchiha coup without revealing herself and made a friend with one of the oldest clans in Konoha.

Something Sakura did do this time around was actually try during training and even those activities Shisui set up for them. She didn't shirk off her duties, though she complained a great deal with Naruto during the particularly grueling days. She knew she received top marks in almost every academic subject as a child the first time around, so she didn't bother playing dumb. The only difference is that she actually tried when the physical portions came around. Her muscles desperately need it.

And she did do better this time around, earning herself an entire letter grade improvement this year. Her parents treated her to her favorite foods when she came back with that news.

Ino and Naruto were easily her two closest friends. If one blonde wasn't with her, chances were that the other was. And though Sasuke learned to steer clear of them when Ino was around, he did sit closer to them during lunch. Most days, one of the Uchiha's would come to collect all three of them.

Sakura was happy. She was so, so happy. This was the childhood she always wished she had. She had her boys, she had Ino, and she even managed to delay the Uchiha coup. All by integrating her and Naruto into Sasuke's life early on.

Time truly was a fragile thing.

She still struggled in other areas, though. Her muscles were gone, the chakra reserves she spent years growing had reverted back to a pathetic size, and she had difficulty picking up ninjutsu unlike the boys around her.

While Sakura could have been considered one of, if not the most powerful kunoichi after she released her seal, she was not that ninja anymore. Her body hadn't been trained rigorously. Her chakra control hadn't been sharpened to total perfection.

And while she knew how to achieve the things she used to have, her body was not capable of understanding it. She's tried to sharpen her chakra control, but even walking on surfaces proved a challenge.

That's when Sakura realized how much she really did change to become the shinobi she was. And at this age, in this body that hasn't had to do any training so far, Sakura was faced with no choice but to begin her self-imposed torture.

It wasn't anything dramatic. She did simple chakra control techniques and ran every morning. She did shuriken training with Sasuke and Shisui helped her understand genjustu effects and the differences between a regular genjustu and one brought upon by a Sharingan.

She let herself be taught these things and really did try to learn it all again. It wasn't as if her abilities traveled with her. No, her body had to relearn the things from before.

Plus, a good refresher never hurt anyone.

The years started to go by, month by month and Sakura realized how different things were. The rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke had less animosity in it, though the two competed with everything. Sakura wasn't a total fan girl with Sasuke, but she didn't know this Sasuke like the one she grew up with. She knew that Sasuke's pain, his struggles, and how difficult it was for him to open up to others.

This Sasuke was remarkably happier than she ever remembered seeing him. He had his family and he had friends to constantly train or play with. He was still overly obsessed with his brother, but it wasn't as much as her Sasuke. He grudgingly cared about them and they were the only two kids Sasuke would talk to during school.

This Sasuke was different, but at heart, she saw the things that made her fall for him when they were genin.

And so she still blushed around him constantly, but she rarely let it deter her. She truly felt like a child with a crush rather than an adult who had fallen in love and gotten her heart broken multiple times by the same person. She knew Mikoto was well aware of Sakura's crush and by extent Itachi and Shisui. In fact, the only person who wasn't really aware of it this time around was Sasuke himself.

She was sure that would change. They were twelve now and not everything could be excused by a child's excitement.

So when the time came and all three of them graduated, Sakura was petrified they wouldn't be on Team 7 together. After all, Naruto and Sakura's abilities had improved over the years, even if only by a little. But when Naruto's name was called, Sakura's right after and finally Sasuke's, Sakura's smile was bright enough for all three of them. Even after Kakashi declared them all idiots

Shisui and Itachi treated them to dinner that night, since it was the rare occasion both boys were free. Sakura could see the stress radiating off them, though they put up a good front. Sasuke had obviously noticed, but he was smart enough not to say anything in front of Naruto.

Sakura noticed too. And she wondered if her years decoding the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke before was a preparation for dealing with an entire clan of Uchiha's now.

Shisui walked Sakura home after they dropped off Naruto. Before they rounded her busy street, she tugged on the older Uchiha's shirt.

"Is everything okay, Shisui-nii-chan?" She asked, worried eyes watching the older boy carefully.

"Should have known we wouldn't get anything by you, Sakura-chan," Shisui admitted, giving her a tight smile. "But it's nothing for you to worry about. You have to be up early tomorrow for your meeting with Kakashi-senpai, right?"

"It's something with your clan, isn't it?" She inquired, worry leaking into her tone as the boy in front of her clammed up. "I'm not asking for you to tell me what it is. I know it's clan business and you can't discuss it with me. I just want to know if everything's okay."

He crouched down and gave her a wide smile, the one that made his eyes crinkle. "I hope it will be soon, imouto."

Then, he ruffled her hair. "Who knows? Maybe one day I will be able to discuss clan matters with you."

Sakura flushed scarlet, stammering a protest. "N-no, that's not why I was asking! I was just worried! Just worried!"

Sakura was well and truly worried, but Shisui's reassuring smile made her forget it for a moment in her own embarrassment.

"Whatever you say, Sakura-chan," He sang, standing back up and ushering them down her busy road. "Come on, you have to rest for your first day tomorrow."

"Yes, Shisui-nii-chan."