Sasuke walked home shamefully. He'd just been utterly embarrassed by a worthless woman. A woman who was 5'3 at best.

The woman was honestly an enigma to his young mind. She didn't seem intimidating at all, or even dangerous. She was lax, seemed bored and overall her disposition was disinterested. But in a moment's notice, he was beaten.

Pushing his thoughts to the side, he stepped into the Uchiha Subdivision's main house.

"Itachi? I'm home!" Sasuke's nose perked at the smell. Itachi had cooked his favorite meal.

Tomato Soup with extra meat.

It wasn't the healthiest, which is why Itachi only cooked it sparingly. Sasuke walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. Itachi placed the food down.

"Hello Sasuke-kun. How was your day?" Itachi muttered a quiet prayer before he began to eat. Sasuke picked up his spoon.

"I met my Jounin sensei. She was a total bitch!" Sasuke rolled his eyes at the memory. Itachi gave Sasuke a displeased look.

"Language please? Anyways, who is she?" Sasuke rubbed his chin in thought.

"I believe it was Sakura Kato."

Itachi eyes widened significantly. He nearly choked on his food in surprise. Sakura of all people? The Sandaime must've wanted his brother to die. It took an extra long sip of water to clear his throat.

"So that's who it is, huh? Well, you should be respectful. She's a stickler for respect and will punish you when she's not given it." The shocked look on his little brother's face told a story.

"However, she's much kinder than she shows. She has been through a lot, but her story is not mine to tell. She would put her life on the line for you at any moment, and would die for anyone in this village. That, I could bet my pride on. She's even saved my life before."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. So the wench was trying to

put fear in them but in reality she was a sappy bitch. When Itachi mentioned her saving his life, Sasuke had to double take.

"Is she stronger than you?" He asked blankly.

Itachi shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps. When we were Genin, her scores were 1/36th of a point behind mine in the overall category. We actually faced each other in the Chūnin Exams, and we defeated each other. It was agreed that we showed all the traits of Chūnin despite the results, and we were both promoted. "

Sasuke bristled. This woman was a match for even his brother? Surely, there was a mistake. Only Shisui could match Itachi in his mind. But Sasuke would not be ignorant to the writing on the wall.

"Is she the only person that's your equal?"

Sasuke had a strong feeling that Itachi was the strongest in this Konoha, save for the Sandaime possibly. So if he could beat someone close to his level, he could surpass Itachi and in turn kill him.

"No. Shinichi Hyūga is very close to my level as well but he's not important right now. I have a few stats on her." Itachi went over to the counter and grabbed the file. Sasuke watched it curiously.

Name: Sakura Kato

Age:18

Classification: Elite Jounin/S-Ranked

DOB: March 28

Weapons: Yama Kattā

Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5

Taijutsu:5/5

Genjutsu:4/5

Intelligence: 5/5

Strength: 4/5

Speed: 4.5/5

Stamina:3'5

Hand Seals: 5/5

Total- 36.5

Notes: Approach with extreme caution!

Sasuke dropped the file. "Looks like there's more to her than meets the eye." Itachi had to agree with that assessment.

Next Morning

Sasuke willed himself to get up at 6:00 sharp. Itachi had been long gone, having left under the cover of night for a mission.

He prepared his body for what would surely be hours of bodily torture. Strapping his hitai-ate to his forehead, he left home. As he walked down the empty streets of the Uchiha Compound, he made a promise to himself.

I swear, no matter how long it takes, I will revive this clan. Whether I live to see it or not, this clan will know honor once more.

Sasuke dashed across rooftops to get to Training Ground 7 faster. He already saw Naruto and Hinata when he arrived. He noted Naruto's unusual silence, and Hinata's slight tremble.

It would seem that show of strength had shook all of them. Hinata hoped that Sakura wouldn't be so late as she was on the first day. Not that she would rush what was sure to be torture. Her hopes were correct as Sakura appeared in a flash.

"Good morning children. Today, we'll be doing the bell test. It's simple. I have two bells with me. If the lot of you can't get one of them in an hour, then nobody eats breakfast."

Naruto's stomach groaned. How could he have forgotten his instant ramen?! Neither of his teammates had bothered to eat either.

Sasuke snarled mentally. He knew something was odd. Itachi never left the Village before telling Sasuke goodbye. He hadn't even woken him up for a parting message. That witch must've coerced him to leave overnight.

"B-b-but Sensei. There's only two bells." Hinata stammered out.

Sakura nodded. "Very observant. Two of you will pass while the other will fail. If any of you can survive that is. But enough talk. Let's begin."

Instantly, the two dojutsu wielders dashed into the forest masking their chakra. Naruto however stood confidently.

"You ain't so tough! The next Hokage needs to teach one of his future followers a LESSON!" He smirked. Sakura honestly wanted to laugh.

"Hokage, hmm? Let's see what you've got then!" Naruto threw up his signature hand sign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 50 Narutos rushed the pinkette. Sakura easily dodged them all before they could even get close. The clones tried to slingshot off of one another to propel their movement but Sakura's perfect flexibility ensured their hopes were dashed.

With a single wave of chakra, every clone dissipated into nothingness.

"Is this all the Hokage amount to? I'm disappointed." Sakura blitzed the genin and hit him in his forehead protecter with a powerful blow, rendering him unconscious.

Hinata saw her opportunity and rushed out and swung wildly at Sakura.

I have to be careful. A blow from this one could do serious damage.

Each blow Hinata attempted was expertly parried and the Jounin took the initiative to return a brutal knee to the Hyūga heiress. She was sent sailing back.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan in an instant. There was no way he could track the moments of any Jonin, let alone her, without his eyes.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She knew the Sharingan was exceptionally hard to acquire, and having it as his age was definitely impressive. Itachi must have been training with him.

Sasuke weaved some seals. His speed with them was impressive, but still easily tracked by Sakura's trained vision.

"Katon: Fire Ball Technique!"

A relatively large Fire Ball made its way to Sakura. It was impressive for a little boy, she had to admit. But still it was nowhere near enough to slow her down.

Sakura flared her chakra, forcing the flames to bounce off of her form. In a movement too fast even for the Uchiha to register, Sakura kicked him back.

HARD!

The force of the blow made Sasuke whimper. He crashed into three trees in succession. A man shaped imprint was carved into the fourth tree but he didn't quite go through it.

Sakura shook her head. "Get back up and try again!" The trio rose to their feet and attacked. Sakura was impressed that they decided to use some form of teamwork.

There may have been hope for them yet.

1 hour later

Sakura dealt a last punch to the Uzumaki's abdomen, shooting him back like a rocket.

Naruto couldn't believe the difference in skill. It was almost inhuman. They had tried everything in the playbook, and still couldn't touch the woman. Not even once. To make matters worse, she had only used taijutsu the entire time.

Sasuke tried to get up but his body betrayed him. His knee buckled roughly, causing him to fall back into a supine position. Hinata could only lay there. Try as she might, her injuries were too severe to even move her head, let alone will her body to move.

"You've impressed me enough. In the face of danger, you showed courage. Meet me here again tomorrow. We're officially Team 7." Sakura vanished.

Sasuke smiled before welcoming unconsciousness.