Chapter 3: Planting Season

~oOo~

Soru contemplated what he had found out so far.

Haruno Sakura, Kunoichi of the Year and Genin of Team 7. Her teammates were, as Soru knew, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto; her Jonin-sensei was Hatake Kakashi of all people. Had he not listened to Himeno-san, he would have thought the pinkette hit it big.

She was the daughter of Haruno Mebuki, a merchant and Haruno Kizashi, a Genin-Corp member turned merchant after his 10-year service was up. No special lineage, no interesting abilities and no important clan connections (apparently she had a falling out with Ino-chama at one point, not that the Yamanaka had ever officially sponsored her or anything; he thought he had seen her pink hair around the compound before).

She was average at best, the only reason for her good standing in the academy being her written test results.

Her file stated that she was a Genjutsu-type.

There were only a few comments about her from her academy teachers, some noting her drive and work ethic. Otherwise the only thing that caught his eye was a comment of her rather violent reactions to Uzumaki-san.

Soru frowned at that. Teaming her up with someone she regularly physically abused seemed like a bad idea, although the Uzumaki did not seem to mind. Hmm, masochistic tendencies? It was likely that they thought she would grow out of it, especially under the guidance of a Jonin.

This could work if the girl was desperate enough.

Closing the file and placing it back in the academy archives, Soru stood up and decided it was time for some first-hand information gathering.

The Tower was fortunately not far from the academy. It only took him a casual five minute stroll to arrive at its doors, make his way to the lounge area and take a look through the training ground records. In it all reservations for the different grounds were documented. He did not have to look far for the reservations for Team 7 – apparently Hatake had booked Training Ground 3 for the next six months. As in completely took up each and every time slot. Only someone like the Copy-Nin could get away with blatantly abusing the system like this.

The Yamanaka spun around and walked back out into the sunlight.

"AAARGH STAY STILL YOU DAMNED FLUFFBALL! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…!"

"NOOOO! MY CABBAGES!"

It turned out he needn't go to Training Ground 3 – he heard the dulcet tones of a loudly screeching Jinchuuriki from five streets away. Inconspicuous really did not seem to be Team 7's style. That just made Soru's job easier.

He jumped onto the nearest rooftop and headed towards the swearing.

The three Genin of Team 7 were spread around the market area. Thanks to all the expletives colouring the air, Soru gathered that they were searching for Tora.

How unfortunate for them – and how amusing for him.

As he settled to watch their interactions and witnessed what held the promise of a spectacular mess, he thought about maybe getting a snack. Such prime entertainment deserved to be appreciated properly.

A cold blade was suddenly at his throat.

"Maa maa, what could an unknown shinobi be doing watching my cute little Genin, I wonder?"

He had not even noticed Hatake coming up behind him. The man was that good. A shudder went through him.

"Just some reconnaissance, Hatake-san, it's what we Yamanaka do. Nothing too nefarious, I promise" Soru said as calmly as he could, despite his rapidly beating heart. The mention of his clan name should hopefully make the older shinobi back off somewhat.

'Please let him come to the conclusion that I am just practicing my observation'

For once luck was on his side and he felt the Copy-Nin remove the kunai. Slowly he turned to face the masked man, not daring to make any sudden movements.

"Why didn't you just say so, Yamanaka-chan? Who knew what could have happened if I hadn't been so careful, you know, skulking around in shadows and peeping on children is a really suspicious activity. Someone could have really misunderstood" The man was standing there in a relaxed slouch, eye-smiling cheerily, as if he had not just threatened to cut Soru's throat.

While his demeanour spoke of one thing, the blonde could practically taste Hatake's steely seriousness on his tongue.

"I will keep that in mind. Still, both of us are on assignments here, maybe we should get back to it?"

'Fake it till you make it' the Yamanaka thought fervently. 'Do not let him see how much he affected you'

Blessedly the older man only gave him a shrug and vanished in a shunshin. He reappeared closer to his team, positioned in a way that allowed him to have Soru in sight as well as his students. He was also consciously placed between the Yamanaka and both the Uzumaki and the Uchiha.

Huh.

While impressed that the Copy-Nin made that work somehow, seeing as they were moving all the time, he was taken aback a bit that the Jonin did not do the same for his pink-haired student. Of course the other two were more likely targets, but from the way the silver-haired man had made him out to be some kind of deranged pervert, he thought he would spare more consideration for his only female student. Maybe that thought was a bit stereotypical, but the facts spoke for themselves: females were more likely to be sexually assaulted than males.

Noting that thought for later, he turned to Team 7 again. They had decided to spread out further and communicate via radio headsets. Delighted he took out his own set. It only took him a minute to find the right frequency. Now he could not only watch them, but listen in on them as well. Someone should really teach them how to secure their channels.

Not even Himeno-san's story prepared him for the clusterfuck that followed. Those kids were all over the place, both Uchiha and Uzumaki wanted to lead and ignored the third part of their team, paid no attention to what the others were doing and what the plan actually was, caused some property damage and broke out into no less than a dozen arguments.

To her credit Haruno tried to interfere and had even come up with a reasonable plan of action, but the raven-haired boy ignored her, which in turn started an argument with the whiskered boy and ended with them completely forgetting about what started their fight in the first place. The pinkette did not attempt to convince the other two to go along with her plan any further, as she was by then too busy trying to placate a bunch of angry people demanding compensation.

Soru could not tear his eyes away. It was like watching an accident – you could do nothing but stare in horrified fascination.

While he had implied that he just wanted to train his observation and people reading skills to Hatake, which was not exactly the whole truth but not really a lie either, he was now close to seeking out Inoichi-sama to hand him a petition to have the younger members of their clan do case studies on Team 7. Their issues had issues. Behaviour wise they raised so many red flags, that he nicknamed them 'Team Red Sea' on the spot.

The Uzumaki was the textbook definition of neglected child. He desperately grabbed up any attention he could, completely lacked social understanding and was seemingly eager to take everything as a personal affront, always ready to defend himself against the world. He also pointedly did not hear whatever he did not want to hear. His flight or fight instincts seemed to work constantly. Not unexpected considering his circumstances, tragic to look at and yet fascinating to watch. He was like a picture of a failed social experiment.

The so called 'Last Uchiha' was not better. They were two sides of the same coin. He hid his inferiority complex better than his teammate, but Soru still had him pegged. To that came his more obvious superiority complex, which led to a pretty amazing dichotomy. Not to mention the other issues the Yamanaka could only guess at with what little time he had been watching them.

He could practically tick boxes off of a mental list.

'Some of the older intelligence-members have remarked about the Copy-Nin's mental state, it seems he fits perfectly on this team.' He could not help but muse about the man that was at once a psychiatrist's wet dream and worst nightmare rolled in one.

But he was not here for them, he was here for her.

Himeno-san was right, the girl seemed tired and worn. Without further information, he could not say whether this might be a sign of depression or just stress and possibly a lack of sleep. Her body language spoke of fatigue and it had a defensive tilt to it. She was more focused on mitigating the damage caused by her teammates than helping them. That could either speak well for her sense of responsibility or bad for her sense of teamwork. Considering what he knew so far it was likely both.

Compared to the other two she was much more aware of her surroundings. That she had come up with the only workable strategy of the day also spoke well of her reasoning.

On the other hand her movements were somewhat slow and her outfit spoke of a lack of thought. The bright red was too eye-catching for a Genin that could not back it up. Her dress was a bit too long and could easily get caught in something and her arms and legs were largely unprotected. From the way her clothes clung to certain parts of her body she was at least wearing some mesh under-armour. Her standard weapon pouch was slightly worn but well taken care of.

All in all his first thoughts while reading her file remained unchanged – skill wise Sakura Haruno seemed rather boring.

It was her interactions or lack thereof with her team as well as her current disposition that made her so interesting to Soru.

Determined he got up from his hiding place.

It was time to pay Kawaru-sensei a visit.

~oOo~

Kawaru would not deny that he was sceptical about Soru-kun's idea, still, he now stood in front of a nice two-story home at the edge of the Donguri-District. According to his student's note, this was the home of one Haruno Sakura, their potential team member for the upcoming exams.

She had no political cloud, was an unremarkable Genin whose safety Konoha would not be overly concerned about and who, on paper, was a good fit for Team 13.

His stomach rolled unpleasantly. He did not like to consider a comrade in terms like these, but was too practical not to. A Shinobi did not shy away from disagreeable thoughts.

It would just be an offer, he would be completely upfront with her and would not pressure her in any which way. She was a Genin now, a part of the shinobi force, she deserved to make her own decisions.

Without further ado he rang the doorbell.

He blinked hard as a few moments later a man with the most peculiar hair style opened the door.

'How does that even work?!' he thought taken aback at the sight of greyish purple-pink hair fashioned in the shape of a Sakura flower.

"How may I help you Shinobi-san?" asked the man politely.

Getting his mind back on track he introduced himself.

"Hello, my name is Tsurisen Kawaru. I am looking for one Haruno Sakura, is she available?"

Looking at him surprised, the man nodded.

"Just a second. SAKURA-DEAR, YOU HAVE A VISITOR!" he shouted up the stairs.

A bang and some soft shuffling could be heard.

"COMING!" A few seconds later a tired looking pink-haired girl came down the stairs.

"Sakura-san?" he checked to be sure.

"Yes, how may I help you?" she echoed her father's earlier greeting.

"I am Tsurisen Kawaru, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you. Elsewhere" he added the last bit when he noticed her father had not left and was listening closely.

She rose an eyebrow but was maybe too polite to question him. Nodding in agreement she pulled on her sandals, turned to her father and told him she would see him later, but not to wait up for her just in case.

She then turned to him, expecting him to lead the way.

He led her to a little restaurant he had noticed on the way and could see her relaxing when she understood that their talk would take place in a public setting. She was at least a bit cautious then, good, it would serve her well.

Motioning for her to sit down at a table at the back, he ordered himself a glass of water and asked her about her preferences. She too ordered some water and once they had been served, he quickly sped through the signs: Snake-Horse-Rat.

At her interested expression he explained: "Magen: Naisho Sasayaki is a C-Rank Genjutsu that obscures our voices to those who try to listen in. We can now talk without being overheard."

Her eyes lit up.

"Thank you for the explanation" she said quietly. "What did you want to talk about?"

Straight to the point then. That worked for him.

~oOo~

Sakura watched the shinobi in front of her curiously.

After the day she had and the headache she was once again nursing (and with no friends to call on) she had been quite perplexed when her father called her down because she had a visitor. The pinkette did not get visitors. The last time was when Ino…that did not matter now.

What mattered was that she had no idea what this random man could possibly want from her. She was extremely relieved when they had not went far from her home and he chose such a public place to talk to her, as she had been ready to send out her chakra in the emergency code that was taught to them in the academy and would have signalled to all Konoha shinobi that she was in need of assistance.

The setting relaxed her, but she was determined not to let down her guard just in case.

'Snake-Horse-Rat, Magen: Naisho Sasayaki' she thought fascinated. Likely Genjutsu as it had a similar name and signs to the jutsu Hatake-san used on her during their Genin test. This time she was sure she memorised the signs correctly…could she try to learn it? It was obviously useful…maybe do some more research on Genjutsu-safety first though…

She forced herself back to the present. This was not the time to get excited about jutsu, her priority should be Tsurisen-san's motivation to seek her out.

'Focus!'

"I wanted to talk to you about possibly joining my team to participate in the upcoming Chunin-Exam. Please let me explain."

Her eyes had widened considerably in surprise and she had opened her mouth in preparation to ask him a lot of questions, starting with a very confused 'WHAT?!'.

His plea registered a moment later and she nodded her assent. She would hear him out. Besides, she was taught that it was more often than not wiser to let people talk and to let them give you information, rather than do the talking and to give more away than necessary.

"Are you aware of the Four-Year-Rule?" the Jonin asked her - well, he was probably a Jonin considering his age and the fact that he had said 'my team' together with 'Chunin-Exam'.

"Yes" she acknowledged. It was mentioned in the career guidelines all students were handed when they signed up.

"Good. That is the crux of the matter. I am the Jonin-sensei of Team 13, consisting of Aburame Kotai and Yamanaka Soru. The original third member of our team has since advanced and became part of the Chunin Corps. Through a serious of misfortunate events my team now faces their last attempt to pass the Chunin-Exams. Should they fail they will be forced into the Genin Corps."

Sakura thought about that for a moment.

"While I sympathize with your predicament, I am not quite sure how I enter the equation. I have barely been a Genin for a month. I am under no illusion to have made great jumps in ability during that time. I do not see how I am suited for the task. I am nowhere near ready to become a Chunin."

If nothing else she was sufficiently self-aware to know her own weaknesses. She was stressed enough about her shortcomings and decided to be as blunt and professional about it as she could. She was worn too thin and had little patience for questionable requests.

Could this be a test? Hatake-san's favourite phrase was 'look underneath the underneath', maybe this was a psychological assessment? But for what purpose? Was it mandatory or because she had went against her instructor's orders? Between Iruka-sensei assurance and Hatake-san's vindictive actions that day she had thought that would be the end of it. Was she wrong?

"True" he said honestly, surprising Sakura a bit. What was his angle?

"Then why ask me?" A hint of frustration coloured her voice. No matter her awareness, it still hurt to have her weakness thrown in her face.

"I will not lie to you – you are a last resort. The exams will be held in Kiri. You know about the situation in Kiri?" he asked searchingly. Her breath hitched and she nodded once more. Was…was he for real?

"As far as I know they are in a state of turmoil and involved in a civil war. Why hold exams?" She questioned disbelievingly.

"To appear strong. The ongoing conflict has lost them a lot of trust and clients. By now they will seriously feel the repercussions of not only their reduced shinobi force, but also their financial deficit. If nothing else the exams will ensure travel to Kiri will pick up and the influx of people will be a bit of an economic boon."

'And' the pinkette thought 'they will also have a stage to defend their place as one of the Five Great Nations'

Things were starting to become clearer.

"I see. With 'last resort' you mean that you could find no other Genin to willingly accompany your team? Non from the Jonin-Track and non from the Career Genin?"

"Exactly. The Kiri-Exams are suspected to be very brutal. People die during the exams all the time, but these exams are expected to have an especially high death-toll. No one is willing to take the risk, not when its Konoha's turn next." He did not sugar-coat things for her.

She bit her lip. "Would becoming part of the Genin Corps be really that bad? If no one else is willing to take the risk, why are you so determined to?"

Was this team that willing to die for their pride? She was so very tired of prideful males.

He sighed. "I am not sure how well-versed you are in clan politics, but for both my students' that would mean huge dishonour. To such a degree that they might be disowned."

"Just for being a Career Genin?!" she exclaimed in shock.

This time he nodded.

"The possibility is there. As I said before, it was misfortune and not lack of ability that led us to this point. We just want a chance" she could hear a bit of frustration in his voice.

"A chance…" she mumbled quietly. Now that…that was something she could empathize with. "I can understand that. Yet you still haven't answered my question, why me?"

"You were brought to our attention by a contact. You seem extremely dissatisfied with your team. You are the Kunoichi of the Year this time around and are noted for your work ethic. If you took me up on my offer you would switch over to Team 13. I would be your sensei. Your teammates would be two experienced Genin that are at High-Chunin level capability wise, allowing me to focus on you for the time being."

"I am no one special" she said quietly.

"Maybe" he acknowledged.

It hit her then and her eyes widened in understanding.

"So that's how it is"

Silence followed her revelation.

Tsurisen-san did not offer her false platitudes.

She took a deep breath and sat straighter. She was no one special – just like on Team 7 she was expandable, no one would rise a fuss or be surprised should something happen to her. In the eyes of the village her potential death was an acceptable price to pay to for two clan-shinobi's reputations. A part of her relaxed. By now she was sure this was not a test, but a serious offer and knowing where she stood and having things on the table decreased the stress she had previously felt immensely.

"To make this clear, we have no intention of letting you die or be seriously harmed under our watch. This is not to say the possibility is not there, but we will mitigate it as best as we can. Soru-kun and Kotai-kun are extremely capable and if you did not need a complete team of three Genin to compete, I would not be afraid to let them face this challenge without a third member. They just need to get to the third stage of the exam."

At her curious look he continued.

"There are three parts to the exam. The first one is a test of the mind and the third one is always a one-on-one fighting style tournament, to which high ranking officials and potential clients are invited. One does not need to win, just proof that they have ability to do well as a Chunin. The second part is the trickiest; while the first part tests the participants' minds and the third their abilities, the second part of the exam tests anything in between and is often focused on something specific to the village holding the exam. The first two parts are also something you have to take on as a team."

She listened closely, no matter what this would be useful information later on.

"So you need me to get through the first two parts, but not the third. For all the danger the other two would do their best to protect me, if for no other reason than the need to complete the tasks as a team" she summarized.

"Exactly." He agreed.

She mulled that over. Of course this was all about helping the career of two boys more important than her along. Nothing new there; at least this team would be upfront about their expectations for their group dynamics.

"How do you see this working out?" She would press as much information out of the pleasantly honest man as she could.

"As mentioned the next two months until the exam starts would be focused on you, as your teammates are more than ready. I will not lie, you would be required to train extremely hard and have little to no free time. First I would test you to get a feeling of where exactly you are with your abilities and then devise a training schedule accordingly. Second we would all train together, to fit you in between existing strategies and manoeuvres. Thirdly, we would also take the D-Rank missions that you need to have done before being allowed to go on a C-Rank – as the completion of a C-Rank is the requirement for being allowed to participate in the Chunin Exams."

That… made sense. But it was not enough for her.

"Understood. You knew about my situation and have obviously done a bit of research on me…" He nodded at her observation. "…What do you think you would teach me exactly?"

No matter what, getting the opinion of a Jonin on where to take her training would be invaluable, she would not let this opportunity slip by her, she would press for more as long as she could.

"Your file stated that you were considered a Genjutsu-type. I myself specialise in Kenjutsu and Genjutsu. We would also up your strength and speed as well as teach you how to control your chakra more effectively. Without testing you I cannot be more concrete at the moment. As a Jonin I am overall capable in most of the shinobi arts, even if I do not specialize in other fields, I will still be able to help you get started. If there is something I cannot teach you, but think you would profit from, I can always call on colleagues or push you in the right direction at least."

This was more general than she had hoped for, but what had she expected? Of course he would have to test her before being truly able to give her more substantial advice. And Genjutsu huh? She had already thought about trying to learn the one he had demonstrated.

'Snake-Horse-Rat' she reminded herself.

Chakra control was also an interesting point, she had done better than everyone else during the Leaf-Sticking-Exercise. At that point she had thought about it more of a fun trick to get used to moving your chakra around and a lead up to be taught the emergency chakra signals, but if the Jonin pointed it out so concretely, it must have more importance than she first thought. With a bit of elation, she considered how easily she could integrate this into her training. She only knew the Leaf-Sticking-Exercise, but surely she could adjust that one. Perhaps increase the amount of leaves? Softly rotate them? Change placements on her body?

Before her thoughts run away from her again, she focused back on the conversation at hand. There were still a few questions she wanted to ask him.

"You said I would be signed over to Team 13…what would happen with Team 7? What about after the exams are done?"

"In our case you would officially leave Team 7 to become a part of Team 13. Team 7 and its members would thus no longer have any authority over you. No matter what happens during the exams, you would still be under my tutelage, if you want to be. Depending on how things go, you might at times join up with other teams for missions or we might find you a specialisation and apprenticeship. I will not just leave you high and dry Sakura-san, on that you have my word."

That hit her harder than everything else in their conversation. She tried to hide the shaking of her fingers with the glass of water before her. No one had ever assured her that she would not be left behind, yet here was this strange Jonin that so easily addressed one of her greatest fears. She looked up from the wood of the table, were her gaze had dropped upon his words, and looked him straight in the eyes. She found no lie in there, although, then again, he was a Jonin – she doubted she would be able to find one if he did not want her too. For the first time she actually contemplated the offer he was making.

"Is there anything else you feel I need to know before making my decision?" she asked tentatively.

"No, nothing you need to know. Just be sure to consider your options carefully. I would love to have you join my team, but remember that you must do what you think is best for your future."

'He just went for the kill' Inner laughed slightly hysterically, no longer able to keep quiet. 'This guy just showed us more consideration than anyone else has in years.'

Sakura felt hollow, she suddenly really wanted this conversation done with.

"When do you need my answer?"

"As soon as possible. If we are going to do this, we have no time to waste."

"Understandable. You will have my answer by tomorrow evening. Where can I find you around that time?" No more dilly-dallying, she had gotten what answers she could from him.

"I have booked Training Ground 17, I should be there. Thank you for hearing me out" he thanked her politely and got up. She followed him and both went their separate ways with one last goodbye to each other, thoughts churning.

~oOo~

Sakura went home in a daze, her brain spitting out facts and scenarios.

She had tried her level best to stay calm and gather all the information she could. What to do? Never in a million years had she expected to be offered this opportunity.

'Am I truly considering this?'

She knew it was a questionable honour, she was only asked because there was literally no one else who would go with them but…they approached her none the less. No one approached her before. No one, until now, saw any true value in her as a shinobi.

It was a bitter pill to swallow that like with her placement on Team 7, her value lied in being expendable.

She was far from being Chunin-material, but that was not what it was about, was it? Team 13 did not need her to be Chunin-level, they just needed her competent enough not to get in the way and get killed too soon.

Kawaru-san had been quite upfront in their conversation. It was nice and comforting to have things plainly on the table for once and not be forced to second guess all the time. The truth wasn't nice, but something she could work with.

He had not denied the danger she would be in.

Would that really matter though? Her placement on a combat team with Sasuke-kun and Naruto already endangered her. Had she not thought about how likely her death in a C-Rank would be? With Team 13 she was at least assured that they would try to protect her, no matter the reason.

(She hated the thought of not being able to protect herself.)

Could she leave behind Team 7 just like that though? Her time on it had not been pleasant, true, but they were just at the start of their careers. Things could still change.

'Change?! Things have only been getting worse! You think they will change for good before we are dead in a ditch somewhere?! Sounds like a risky plan to me, cha!'

Inner…wasn't exactly wrong.

Still, to just give up on them and all they could be?

She remembered Hatake-san's words 'Those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash'.

It had seemed like such a profound moment at the time.

'We are one!' she herself had so foolishly proclaimed, truly believing they could be in the future.

'As if they haven't made liars out of themselves! Do they not ignore us? Toss us aside? Do they not abandon us in some ways every day? Or did you conveniently forget being constantly side-lined?!'

The pain in Sakura's chest increased. She hated that Inner had a point. Team 7…

She promised Tsurisen-san to have an answer for him tomorrow. With that she had given herself enough time to weigh her options but not enough to second guess her decision too much. Any longer and she knew she would tie herself in knots irrevocably. She would find him when she was ready, having consciously decided against a more specific timing. For once she was the one calling the shots. A tiny comfort she had demanded for herself.

Tsurisen-san had let her.

Taking a deep breath she came to a decision.

'Just one more try. One more' she thought. Tomorrow she would give Team 7 a last shot. She would try her best to pull them together, to see whether there was something salvageable there.

But before then she really needed to change her bed sheets, damn it.

~oOo~

It was already dark out when Sarutobi Hiruzen's secretary knocked politely on his door.

"Hokage-sama, there are a Jonin and a Genin asking for an appointment with you. Are you available now or do you want me to schedule them in for another time?"

"Now is fine, sent them in" He was getting crossed eyed and tired of all the damned paper work. Besides, if they were coming in this late, there was a good chance that the matter was at least somewhat urgent. Those were generally better dealt with immediately rather than postponing until they became really urgent.

"As you will, Hokage-sama" Ayumi-san acknowledged and bid the duo to enter.

Seeing the faces of Tsurisen Kawaru and Haruno Sakura was an unwelcome surprise. He knew of the first ones predicament and the latter ones file had been closely inspected by him when he had created this year's teams. A heavy feeling set over him.

"Kawaru-san, Sakura-kun, what can I do for you?"

"We are here to formalize Sakura-san's switch to Team 13, Hokage-sama" the Jonin explained.

It was as he feared then. Inwardly he cursed. All new Genin Teams were carefully chosen in a way that hopefully guaranteed maximum efficiency. It was not often that a member switched over to another team.

There was also little Hiruzen could do to prevent the switch – a Genin's right to leave a team they believed unsuited for them was cemented in Konoha's law since the very beginning. It was not a well-known law, but at a time where suspicion against other clans was still high, it was a necessary one.

Jonin-sensei had an extreme amount of control over their assigned students. They decided on training and missions as well as being an overall guardian in shinobi matters. The power imbalance between student and sensei was immense. To mitigate that somewhat and to ensure no Jonin could take undue advantage of their pupils, a Genin had the right to withdraw from their team.

Other than helping the clans feel safer from sabotage, it was also meant to protect the student not only from their teacher, but, as the right solely lay with the Genin, also their own family or clan.

The law was far from perfect, but it had regrettably been needed in the past.

What went wrong that Haruno Sakura felt the need to make use of it?

He understood perfectly why Kawaru-san had chosen her, politically speaking she was a good choice and she had no close relations to talk her out of it, but why exactly had the young girl agreed?

Sighing the Sarutobi stuffed his pipe, used a quick chakra spark to ignite it and took a deep puff of smoke.

Kawaru-san took out the necessary forms, all filled in correctly and already signed by both him and the girl in question. The only thing missing now was his own signature and hours of careful planning and fact checking would go down the drain.

He let the set of papers rest before him, making no move to sign them quite yet.

He turned to the quiet girl. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. He knew Kawaru-san was desperate, but he did not take him for someone who would pressure a young girl into such a dangerous action.

Hiruzen had been wrong before though.

"Tell me Sakura-kun, how did you come to this decision? Do you know what consequences your switch will have for you?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, Kawaru-sensei informed me." Her voice sounded hollow but sure.

"Did he now? Are you aware of his team's situation and what would likely be expected of you?" the Third Hokage asked calmly. He could not actually forbid her from switching teams, but maybe he could make her reconsider.

Kawaru-san's face had closed off, but Hiruzen was too well versed in reading people's body language as to not see his affront. He felt sorry for the man, but there were more important things to take into account then his team's wellbeing.

"Kawaru-sensei has informed me about the Kiri-Exams and his expectations for me and our team." She remained steadfast. Hiruzen had not expected to see such backbone from her. Another reason to keep her on Team 7.

"These exams are expected to be very brutal. No other team would be sent. There is a high chance of death for you, are you aware of that?" he pressed.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, I am a shinobi of Konoha – death is not something unexpected in our line of work. I was never under any illusion about that."

This time there was a bit more fire to her words. Hiruzen took another deep drag from his pipe.

"From all of Team 7, I expected you to be the least eager for advancement and the least likely to take unnecessary risks."

"I have carefully considered my options. This is what I want. It is not about power, it's about getting a chance. This is my decision to make and I am making it." Her conviction reminded him of his dear Tsunade, standing so firm in front of him, not giving an inch.

"Sakura-kun…"

"I know I have not been placed on Team 7 for my own benefit" she interrupted him quietly, the energy seeming to have left her somewhat.

Hiruzen was shocked to have that thrown in his face by the tiny kunoichi.

'She is more right and yet more wrong than she knows.' Thought the Sarutobi sadly. He knew the rumours and considering her father's past in the Genin Corps during the Third War, he had no doubt that she had come to the conclusion that she was 'cannon fodder'.

This was not the case.

Generally speaking he did not consider any of his shinobi in such a way, but war was war and sacrifices had to be made. It was unfortunate, yet it was the reality they faced.

When he considered this year's teams and which would likely do well in the Jonin-Track, Sakura's appointment had slid into place easily, yet with a lot of thought.

The Ino-Shika-Cho combination was a given and never in doubt.

Team 8 had likewise naturally come together, the abilities and overall strength of the Hyuuga-Aburame-Inuzuka constellation were just too good to pass up.

It actually spoke of how amazing the teamwork and strategies of the Ino-Shika-Cho were, that they were the most feared team, rather than Hyuuga-Aburame-Inuzuka. On paper the second one was certainly better balanced and more powerful.

Team 7 on the other hand were special cases. Kakashi had been basically promised Naruto, at least until he reached Chunin and Jiraiya would take over. He was also the only one who could help Sasuke-kun out with his Sharingan.

Technically of course the Uchiha could have just gotten some one-on-one training with the Copy-Nin when he activated his bloodline, but Sasuke-kun needed a team. He was extremely closed off and obsessed with avenging his clan, so much so that he was considered a flight risk. He needed the bonds a strong team offered and Kakashi emphasized with him and pushed teamwork like no other of his Jonin.

Naruto and Sasuke-kun also had some kind of rivalry going and the blonde was often the only one able to get a rise out of the Uchiha.

Naruto himself was also in need of strong bonds. His flight risk was not as pronounced, but still there. He was also lacking in terms of general and academic knowledge, although Hiruzen had high hopes that he would do better in a less formal environment. The Hokage suspected he would be rather like his godfather in that aspect.

In spite of being reluctant to take a team, Kakashi too needed this. ANBU had worn him down and psych was close to declaring him suicidal.

Sakura-kun was supposed to be the grease that kept the machine going.

Her crush on the young Uchiha was well known and the positive human attention was good for the boy. He needed such acknowledgement and her softness and naiveté could serve as a light on his darker days.

Naruto in turn had a crush on the girl and was in conflict with Sasuke-kun. It was unlikely he would normally go along with the raven-haired teen, but his need to please Sakura could mitigate that somewhat, resulting in the possibility of the three of them actually working together. Her advanced theoretical knowledge would balance out Naruto's lack thereof as well.

Sakura-kun was also noted for her quick uptake, good work ethic and a general need to please authority figures. She would be low maintenance for Kakashi in terms of training. A bit of direction and the girl would be set, freeing up Kakashi to focus more on the boys, who were both starved for attention and guidance.

So in this sense the young Haruno was right, she was placed on Team 7 mostly for her teammates benefit rather than her own.

And now the small kunoichi stood in front him, proving that he had miscalculated somewhere.

He watched her closely as she squared her shoulders and looked him point blank in the eyes.

"My reasons for withdrawing from Team 7 are insurmountable differences and the neglect of my assigned Jonin-sensei. I do not feel we are well suited."

'Oh Kakashi, what happened?'

Then, less formally, she continued: "I am not afraid of dying – I am afraid of dying because nobody could be bothered."

There was nothing he could say to that.

Nothing more he could say to her.

With a heavy heart he signed the document removing Haruno Sakura from Team 7 and with another stroke of the brush placed her on a team headed towards a civil war.

Soooo this chapter took a long time to wrangle into shape, I really wanted to post it last week, but could not manage it, sorry. I am still not too happy with it, but at this point it will not get any better, I think. There are some passages I really like though, so that is something.

I tried to portray the characters as true to form as I could. How do you guys think their interactions turned out?

And yes, in this one Sakura does not wait around for Team 7, in this she is, for once, the one to leave first. Sometimes all it takes is to be offered an opportunity. Team 7 will not be forgotten though and will continue to play a not insignificant role.

On another note I always thought Sarutobi was very 'all my shinobi are equal, but some are more equal than others'.

Love to hear from you all,

Kiwi