...Sakura falls onto her bed tired.
-Well that was an eventful first day, still, you messed one thing up-
"What's that?"
-Itachi never saw Shisui die so um duh, he doesn't have the Mangekyo Sharingan now-
"Shit. Well, it's not like I was going to let Shisui die."
-I know but what if it changes things-
"Aren't we here to change things?"
-Yeah but what if by Itachi not having that power makes something else happen, something bad-
"Well I can't change it, it is done, maybe he will still get it."
-What about Obito? He is still out there somewhere, remember he was the one who helped Itachi kill his clan, and now Itachi won't be doing that.-
Inner had a good point. Where was Obito? Would he just go back to forming and collecting Akatsuki members? Was there an Akatsuki now? If there was they were down one Uchiha.
"I don't know, I will have to figure it out later, I have no clue where Obito is. I will have to wait and see if anything comes of it. I don't really have a choice, I have a limited viewpoint of everything remember?"
Sakura sighed into her pillow and never noticed the red eyes watching her from the roof of the house across the street.
The next morning…...
"SSSAAAAKKKKUUUUURRRRRAAAAAA! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOLLLL DEARR!" her mom yelled up the stairs to her.
Sakura fell out of bed and threw on black shorts, black wrap around top with a dark blue tie around her waist and a dark blue ribbon to tie back her hair. She used a mild genjutsu to hide her seals on her forehead and the back of her neck then jumped out her window.
"Hey, Forehead! Heard you went to Sasuke's house for Dango yesterday without me." Ino was standing with her hand on her hip glaring at Sakura.
"I asked him where you were, he said he didn't know. He asked me over so I went. No big deal Ino." Sakura didn't have time for this.
Ino gave her a piercing look. "Don't act like it wasn't a big deal Forehead, the hottest guy in school asks you out and you are trying to tell me it wasn't a big deal?"
"Look Ino, I know you're jealous but I don't like Sasuke like that okay? We are just friends, he is a nice guy. I won't stand in your way, go for it.' Sakura smiled, she really wanted her and Ino to be friends again this time around.
"Really?" Ino asked not completely believing anyone in their right mind wouldn't want the Uchiha.
"Really, Ino." Sakura smiled again. "Come on, let's get inside, and today let's eat lunch together okay?" Sakura started walking to the door.
When they got inside their classroom Sasuke was there in his seat and he looked up as Sakura sat down.
"Morning Sakura." He greeted her.
"Morning Sasuke." She said and sat down.
"You wear a lot of black." He commented.
"I like black, I used to wear a lot of red but I don't know, I want to wear darker colors now." She shrugged. After the 4th Shinobi war, darker colors made her feel better, like they could hide the blood on her hands, the loss.
"It makes the color of your eyes and hair stand out." He blushed then hurried to say, "It looks nice." in case he had offended her.
She didn't know what to think of this new Sasuke, it kinda confused her but she really liked it. "Thank you."
Iruka brought the class to order then and they started learning about the nature of chakra and how to control the chakra they had in their bodies presently. A lot of it was a review of course and common sense but she listened for anything she may have missed before. She wasn't so arrogant as to think there was nothing more she could learn or that there wasn't anything she couldn't learn for the first time by going to class in her past.
After reading the sections about chakra control in their books they went out to the academy training grounds for kunai practice. They lined up into three rows about ten kids a row. The targets were set up about 20 feet away. Not far. The aim was to get one out of three in the second to the center area in yellow, anything outside of the yellow didn't count. If you didn't get any of your kunai in the yellow, you had to stay after class for more practice.
Sasuke lined up in a row next to Sakura, Ino was behind Sakura. Just as they were about to start a loud noise rang out over the training field.
"Yeah! Believe it!" An orange ball of energy was racing back and forth dodging Chunin who were trying to catch him.
"Naruto?" Sakura said out loud.
Iruka cast her a surprised look. "You know him?" He asked her.
"I have seen him around." She said.
"He's late, he was supposed to start with the rest of you yesterday," Iruka told her as two Chunin tackled Naruto and dragged him over to the class.
"Now stay put you little shit." a Chunin with wrapper tape over his nose said to Naruto giving him an angry look.
"Yeah yeah get off." Naruto scowled but his face lit up when he saw Sakura looking at him. He jumped to her side. "Hey,my name is Naruto, what's yours?"
"Um, Sakura." She smiled at him.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat. She had smiled at him! A girl smiled at him! No one ever smiled at him. He knew right then and there that he was in love.
"Hey wanna be my girlfriend?" Naruto asked her taking her by the hand and kissing it. "Oooff!" He was knocked to the ground, Sasuke standing over him.
"Leave her alone," Sasuke said to him in a low voice.
"Easy easy guys," Iruka called to them.
"It's okay Sasuke he didn't mean anything by it." Sakura tried to intervene.
"He shouldn't touch you or kiss you like that, it is bad manners." Sasuke huffed. And looked away.
"I was just being friendly, believe it!" Naruto is back on his feet smiling at Sakura again.
Sakura smiles back and then turns away.
"Okay okay let's get started, Naruto get in line, we are doing kunai practice," Iruka says.
Naruto gets in line behind Sakura, earning him a punch from Ino who pushes him behind her.
Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba step up to the line to throw their kunai. Sakura waits for a minute, she doesn't remember how good everyone is and she didn't want to be too far out of place. Thoughts of the test yesterday play through her head, oh yeah. She throws before Kiba or Sasuke. All three kunai embedded in the middle dot of the center target.
"Uh, wow, ok good job Sakura, you can go sit down till the others are done." Iruka looks at her with wide eyes.
Sasuke's mouth is open and he shuts it with a snap.
"Holy crap."
"Did you see that?"
"That is absolutely amazing Sakura!" Naruto's voice is the loudest.
"Whoa."
"Who is she again?"
"Dang Forehead." Ino looks at her in aww. Seriously where was her timid friend now?
The voices whisper their surprise all around her as she goes to sit down on a bench behind the rows of other students.
-Uh overkill girl-
Red eyes disappear from a nearby tree.
Lunch time came and the children all file out of their classes to sit on the grass outside the building but inside the school gates. Sakura took her bento out and opened the lid next to Ino as a shadow fell across them. Sakura looked up to see Naruto standing over her smiling like a moron.
"Sakura can I join you for lunch?" He grins and sits down before she even answers.
"Sure Naruto." She smiles at him.
"Really?" His eyes go wide and he smiles and hugs her, he finally has a friend!
"Hey! I told you not to touch her!" Sasuke is behind them scowling.
"Wow Forehead, when did you get so popular?" Ino is giving her a strange look.
"I didn't ask for this, I just wanted to eat lunch with my best friend." She smiled at Ino.
"I'll eat with you too then." Sasuke sits down beside Sakura and opens the lid to his bento.
They start to eat when Sakura notices Naruto doesn't have a lunch.
"Naruto? Where is your lunch?" She asks him
"Oh uh, I don't eat lunch, I eat when I get home." He frowns for a minute then smiles brightly at her. "I prefer it this way, ya know?"
Sasuke rolls his eyes and Ino scoffs.
"Who wouldn't want to eat at lunch time, you're such a loser.' Ino says arrogantly to Naruto and he looks almost hurt but smiles at her.
"That's me, I don't want to eat lunch." He grins a fake grin and it breaks Sakura's heart. Poor Naruto. He doesn't have parents to make him a bento, he probably doesn't eat because he doesn't have anyone to look after him. How come she never noticed any of this before, she was so ashamed.
"Here." Sakura sets her bento and chopsticks in front of Naruto.
"What?' Naruto said confused. "You're giving me your lunch?" He blushes.
"I ate a big breakfast. I'm not hungry." She says. "Eat it."
"Th thank you Sakura. You're really nice." Naruto bows and takes the bento with two hands from her and starts to shovel the food into his mouth. Just like she thought, he was starving.
Red eyes watched her from the top of the academy.
After lunch they read more on chakra control, it's uses and how to replenish your levels through a good diet and rest. Soon the bell rang and all the kids hopped out of their seats and ran out the door. All save four. Ino came to stand by Sakura as she got her books together. Sasuke was taking a long time to leave again folding papers into a folder, and Naruto bounded over several tables to get to her.
"Sakura! Want to go train together and practice our chakra contorts?" He smiled at her widely.
"Chakra control idiot," Sasuke says scoffing at him for the 6th time that day.
"Too bad boys, we have a date with Dango, to make up for yesterday." She glares at Sasuke who shrugs.
Sakura smiles and waves, "See you tomorrow." Her and Ino giggle and walk out of the room.
They are still laughing with one another as they exit the main door to the academy to find Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha waiting by the swing for Sasuke.
"Haruno San." Itachi greets her.
"Sakura Chan!" Shisui greets her with a big hug and ruffles her hair as he sets her back down.
"Uh, hi guys." She gets out as Ino's mouth opens and closes like a fish. Next to her.
"Don't hug her like that Shisui!' Sasuke runs out the front door to stand between Sakura and Shisui.
"Relax kid, I was just saying hello to your girlfriend." Shisui teased him and Ino stiffened by Sakura's side.
Aww crap Sakura thought and promptly said loudly, "I am NOT his girlfriend."
She felt Ino relax beside her.
"Okay okay sheesh you guys are so serious." Shisui laughs at them.
"Ready Sasuke?" Itachi asks.
"Um yeah, see you Sakura, let me know if you want to train after your get Dango with Ino okay? Come by the compound if you do." He waves and leaves with Itachi.
Shisui smiles at Sakura and winks at her before leaving.
"Oh, my gosh Forehead spill!" Ino is grinning like she is a cat with cream.
"How the hell do you know three of the hottest Uchiha in history!" Ino is dancing where she stands.
"The hottest Uchiha in history is Madara Uchiha." It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
Ino's jaw dropped.
"I met them when I went to his house for Dango yesterday." Sakura told her. "It really isn't a big deal Ino, you should come with me next time."
"Isn't a big deal? I don't understand you Forehead." Ino shakes her head and smiles. "No wonder you aren't interested in Sasuke with men like that around."
"Ino, we are 7 years old, kick it down a notch, it's creepy." Sakura says. Has she always been like this Sakura wonders.
Red eyes flash in the afternoon sun.
Sakura never went to find Sasuke to spar after Dango. Instead, she went for a walk in the forest outside of training ground 5 where Team 7 used to train. She found a good spot by one of the biggest trees she had ever seen, a tree that her old Sensei used to love reading in when they were Genin. It was exhausting in a way, trying to separate and yet combine both of her lives at the same time. Mentally. That was the word she was looking for. It was mentally exhausting.
She leaned her back up against the tree. She was restless and found she couldn't sit still. Sighing, she got to her feet and raced up the side of the next tree over using the method she had first learned from Kakashi all those years ago, then snapped her head back and flipped off the tree over and over till she hit the ground with minimal chakra to absorb the impact leaving a tiny little crater. Sakura sighed again and walked back toward the training grounds and home.
He felt her chakra fading...her immense chakra, well, immense for a 7 year old. Kakashi hopped down from his favorite tree and inspected the crater. Hum, he rubbed his chin. Another genius? Another Itachi? Kakashi thought Itachi was impressive, and he was, but so was she. Who was she? He walked around the crater a few more times and then glanced up the trunk of the tree she had ran up and flipped off of. He bit his thumb and slammed it to the ground.
"Hey, boss." Pakkun greeted him.
"Pick up the female scent on this tree and follow her. I want to learn more about her." Kakashi told Pakkun.
"New love interest?" Pakkun teased.
"She is 7 years old, hardly." Kakashi glared at the ninja hound and Pakkun took off.
