They met as a team the following day. Naruto's excitement at having passed the bell test knew no bounds and, if one looked carefully enough, they'd see that even Sasuke looked mildly pleased with the way things had turned out.
Nevertheless to say, their good mood drastically dropped the moment their masked sensei had announced, too cheerful for Sakura's liking and much to the boys' dismay that "no, Naruto, we are not saving any princess or fighting any enemies today." and that "no, Sasuke, we are not training either."
It had been easy for her to realize what awaited them.
Kakashi, having noticed her lack of interest in guessing today's objective, had probed. "Well Sakura, aren't you curious to know?"
I'd rather don't, to be honest.
She kept these thoughts to herself however, and clicked her tongue. "Chores." she answered flatly.
Both sensei and student chose to ignore Naruto's cry of indignation.
"Now, now Sakura-chan, they aren't chores but D-rank missions that involve helping out our citizens." he amended. Too bad that she knew enough of emotional blackmail to recognise it and brush it off with little to no guilt.
She was merciless when she spoke next. "If that's what you want to call gardening, cleaning, buying groceries, walking dogs and babysitting..."
Sasuke's eye twitched in displeasure, apparently not liking the idea any more than Naruto did.
"They are important for your growth as ninja." Kakashi insisted, as a last resort.
She almost laughed.
Common sense? What's that, sensei?
As far as Sakura was aware of, that didn't apply to shinobi. Why learn how to make a steak when you could treat yourself to a nice restaurant, considering how many tears you have shed and how much you have sweated and how much blood you have spilled, your own and the enemy's and fuck, you don't even notice the difference anymore unless it hurts.
Why master the art of cleaning your house when you could pay a bunch of genin that frankly remind you so much of yourself young, stupid, god so stupid, hopeful (you want to tell them hope is a bitch but you never do because you are still stupid and still hoping after all these years and what would that make you then? a hypocrite. so, you bite your lip and offer them juice and tell them to fall in love later and cherish their team and grow some muscle and don't be useless like you were, still are and fuck, you feel like hugging them sometimes because they are too young for this shit and nobody really prepares you for pain)
Why give birth to a child (a small human being, worthy of all that is good in the world) that could, most probably would, become an orphan (because it will happen, you know it will and you can only pray that it's later rather than sooner, ninja don't live long, death is their shadow, always, no matter how brilliant you get, look at Naruto's parents, at Jiraya-sama, at the Third Hokage)
And why walk a dog when you can barely move from point A to point B after a ridiculous long mission (the client lied, you didn't move fast enough, if you even did at all and your teammate is snoring so loud he might wake-up the dead but you never hit him because for once he looks peaceful and shit he deserves that and you have been a bitch for long enough so you just lay there, staring, like an idiot and you regret and feel guilty and wish to turn back time but you know you can't and if you fall asleep at sunrise then it's your fault. don't you know better than to miss out on sleep during a mission?
or after an even more ridiculous training session (it rained, it hadn't rained in a month so it makes sense and yet that knowledge doesn't make you any less angry because that means the training grounds are muddy and just when you thought the dirt you had gotten yourself into couldn't be any deeper...there it is. your knuckles bleed, you forgot your gloves for some reason or maybe you didn't take them on purpose. who knows? you have always been a masochist and you train and train because you know war is coming and failing isn't an option. you fight and bleed until there is barely any chakra left in your body to heal the injures you have gained tonight and you cry and scream and rage but suck it up in the end because Konoha needs warriors and you have denied your role for long enough.)
Of course, none of the above ever left her mouth.
"I do enough of them at home, sensei." she whined.
The jonin gave her what was supposed to look like a sympathetic glance but that turned out to be something else entirely. Right. Sakura had nearly forgotten how much fun Kakashi used to have at their expense back in the day. Also, that damned mask he wore helped conceal his amusement just fine.
"Aa but the boys here aren't as experienced with matters of the house, not like you are. Besides, teammates suffer together." Kakashi paused, quirking a brow. "Hadn't we agreed on that yesterday?"
He was mocking her, that much was obvious.
Sakura scowled. She did not train her butt off under Tsunade's tutelage and learned the context of dozen medical books only to be stuck completing D-rank missions now. But what did she expect? She was back in her twelve-year-old shoes. Nobody cared that she had worn them once. They fit...even if her mind didn't, couldn't, would never be the same.
A grin creased her lips.
Two can play this game Kakashi-sensei.
"Well, when you put it that like that..." she trailed off, ducking her head. "We will do them. Together." she glanced at her teammates. "Right, guys?"
Sasuke was busy glaring at the ground as if it had brought him great offend. One could only guess what was going through his head right now and Naruto had looked her way as if saying I thought you were our last hope Sakura-chan!
As such, their answers were a barely audible "Hn" and a, surprisingly or not, resigned "Fine" respectively.
Kakashi nodded in approval, slapping his hands together. "Glad I made myself understood. Let's get going then."
When they reached the Hokage Tower, Sakura hesitated near the door. Was she prepared to see another ghost? He is alive now, baka. She tried telling herself, tried to move one foot in front of the other but they wouldn't budge. If she walked through that door, she'd be reminded of how real all of this is and that reality had been cruel, will be cruel again. Until today, it had been easy to pretend, treat her surroundings as if they were nothing but a dream, a bittersweet dream that spoke of a childhood long gone. Now she had to face everything once more. Orochimaru, The Sand's Invasion, Sasori, Pain, Obito, Madara...
Her head was pounding. She couldn't do this now any better than she had done it last time. What had she been thinking?
"Sakura-chan."
Jarred from her thoughts, she blinked at the sight of Naruto standing so close to her. When did he move? She hadn't seen him do it. He was looking at her worryingly. In front of them, Kakashi was observing and Sasuke...
She couldn't even meet his eyes, not after remembering. The Forest of Death, the cursed mark, leaving, the rescue mission...
This time Naruto had to physically bring her back to the present. His hand had gripped her forearm, firmly enough that her war-shaped reflexes had almost kicked in and punched him in the gut.
Sakura had stopped her fist from colliding...or rather, somebody else did, she realized with shame. Onyx met jade green and the startling realization of what she almost did and the fact that he felt the need to interfere...
She adverted her eyes when he released her and turned to face a shocked Naruto, whose confused expression tinged with concern was honestly too much for her to bear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I had a nightmare last night and..."
If you can call years of horrible events, of helplessness, of pain, that. She thought to herself.
"Sometimes you think it hadn't ended."
Her eyebrows rose in surprise but by the time she dared look at Sasuke, he had turned to face the door leading to the Hokage's office, hands inside his pockets. She couldn't have explained it any better than he did and for the first time in her life, Sakura felt like she finally understood.
"Come on, my cute little genin. It happens to everyone. I'm sure Naruto has already forgiven you..." Kakashi glanced in the blond's direction, his tone a tad too cheerful for it to be authentic.
"Of course I did!" he exclaimed, nodding vehemently. "Don't sweat it, Sakura-chan. Nightmares are terrible." he shuddered, as if remembering the ones he had from time to time.
Naruto seems honest and all, but still...
A ninja should always be in control of their actions. Whether said ninja had suffered a trauma or not. That wasn't a justifiable excuse.
"See Sakura? It's like we all told you." Kakashi added, as a last attempt to get them moving. Honestly now, he felt too old for...whatever that moment between youngsters had been.
A polite knock and a "Come in" from a muffled voice later and that's how Team Seven found itself on the receiving end of the Sandaime's calculating gaze. The years had done nothing to worsen it and that was remarkable in Sakura's books. He looked exactly as she remembered. Just...more real. But there were also new aspects added to her memory now, like the details she had been too unexperienced the first time around to notice.
"Kakashi. I was expecting you sooner than this but considering your past record of tardiness...arriving only a few minutes late is an outstanding improvement."
He wasn't sarcastic. That was probably the funniest part.
She felt guilty though. Her sensei would have been on time for once if it weren't for her. It made Sakura wonder how many of his lame excuses had actually occurred. Maybe his luck was just that bad. "Ano, Hokage-sama..."
She stopped. Something is in my hair. she realized with a startle. Narrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Sakura looked up only to see Kakashi eye-smiling down at her, ruffling her pink locks as he did so.
"Maa, you know me Lord Third. I tend to get lost on the path of life too often for my own good." he paused. "My apologizes."
That day, they all saw Kakashi in a different light.
Which negatively changed a few moments later.
"YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT?!" Naruto's loud outburst made several people in the office lose their hearing, Sarutobi included.
Never mind the fact that they were now outside the Hokage Tower.
"Keep it down, will you dobe?" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.
"I don't see the problem, Naruto. Those are perfectly reasonable D-rank missions." Kakashi calmly intoned as he gestured with a hand towards the list he had given to Sakura a few minutes prior the outburst.
The blond wasn't convinced, however. He was busy sulking as he kept looking over her shoulder at the tasks they had to accomplish.
"What's Operation Tora about?" Sasuke asked, since it seemed to be the only thing that sounded mildly related to shinobi matters. If it has a code name, that means it must be treated with caution and seriousness.
The pink-haired girl groaned. "You are cruel Kakashi-sensei. Everyone knows how the daimyo's wife treats her cat and how the cat behaves as a result of trauma."
"A cat? Who names a cat Tora?" (name meaning: tiger)
"The daimyo's wife?"
"Apparently not everyone knows." Kakashi argued. "And to answer your question Sasuke, the aim of the mission is to catch Tora and return it to its owner. Keep in mind that it's not as easy as it looks. This will teach you stealth and will challenge you to think outside the box." then he threw his other student a look. "Honestly Naruto, I expected you to be excited about this. It's like planning and carrying out a prank."
Said boy looked mortified. He weakly protested. "Pranks are art sensei. Whatever that cat is...it sure as hell ain't worth my time."
Sasuke let out a dignified scoff. "I have to agree with Naruto on this one."
"Ano, Kakashi-sensei..." the pinkette began.
He looked tired...and pissed off. "Yes, Sakura?"
I will only make it worse then. She thought to herself, amused. "How about a compromise?" That caught everyone's attention. "Today, we agree to do everything that's on the list, but tomorrow you must teach us something new, as well as test us for chakra nature." she grinned. "I've always wanted to know which one is mine!"
All three of them were silent for a while.
"Chakra nature?" Naruto scratched the back of his neck.
"Seriously dobe." Sasuke shook his head as if saying what a lost cause.
Kakashi was baffled...again. He had expected a tantrum (it was a given considering who he had on his team), a little protesting here and there and then finally, resigned silence. But this...
Sakura has seized the opportunity just like a politician and addressed it with the cleverness of a shinobi.
"Each one of us has a chakra nature. We are born naturally inclined towards an element. As ninja advance in rank and skill, they can learn to use a second or maybe even a third one, though those cases are rare." he explained, arching a brow. "Understood, Naruto?"
He nodded with a nervous chuckle. "Now that you mentioned it sensei, I remember Sakura-chan telling me something similar..."
Her eyebrow twitched. "That's because I did tutor you for a month! What were you thinking about while I was talking?" she sighed, shaking her head. "On a second thought, don't tell me." Turning to face the Copy-Cat ninja, Sakura did her most adorable pout.
Now Kakashi was a skilled jonin. A brilliant one even (not his words). He had been ANBU captain and had graduated the Academy when he was but five years old. All that had to count for something. It must have prepared him for this situation.
It must have, right?
Then why, Kami why, was he letting a pink-haired brat who, by all means, was half his age and more than half his height and weight, win?
It was simple really.
Haruno Sakura was an adorable kid who knew how to make grown-men do her bidding. It was a fact and Kakashi wasn't one to argue with facts. Besides, it's a compromise. He told himself. It's not like she is trying to undermine me.
Little did he know though how today it's a compromise and tomorrow a permanent hold over his heart strings.
"Very well. I expect them to be done without complaining though." he relented.
The time traveller was barely able to suppress a victorious grin. The boys, however, were visibly stunned by the outcome. She internally sighed. Did they really think she'd let them go through that without having a trick up her sleeve? They had a lot to learn about Future Sakura...and her spine of iron.
After recovering, Naruto cracked-up. "You want peace and quiet to read your porn, is that it?!" Granted how loudly he had accused him, it wasn't a surprise that several people on the streets gave the masked shinobi looks as they passed him by.
And...bull's eye. Sakura was trying her hardest not to laugh since Kakashi looked as if he had just lost the will to live.
She blinked when Sasuke had snatched the list from her hands. His patience must be wearing thin. She mused, watching him shove the piece of paper inside his pocket then grab both her and Naruto by the arm. "Let's go before he changes his mind, idiot." he told the latter.
Nevertheless to say, Kakashi never let them forget what happens when someone embarrasses him in public. He had even gone out of his way to clarify that no, there are no exceptions he is willing to make to the rule.
Not even for his cute little genin.
Compromises Sakura. They are important. She told herself repeatedly that morning after waking-up and remembering what a disaster yesterday had been. She had tried, in vain, to get Naruto and Sasuke to cooperate, even if it were for tasks as boring and simple as D-rank missions.
They didn't budge. No matter what she told them. The only time she had managed to get out a reaction other than blatant refusal was when she mentioned the bell test and how teamwork had made the difference between genin and Academy brat.
Maybe that would have worked, had it not been for their competitive streak. Or rather, Naruto's. Sasuke had been unfazed during the whole ordeal. In many ways, it felt like they treated each other worse than normal. Sakura hoped they got their act together before she decided to do it for them.
Without using words this time.
After pulling up her hair in a messy bun, the time traveller stopped to look out the window. She narrowed her eyebrows in disbelief at the sight, thinking that maybe she was still tired, tired enough to conjure people out of thin air with her imagination.
That wasn't the case though.
Lee was there. Doing laps around the village and she had looked out the window just in time to catch him running on the street where her apartment was. Refusing to let such an opportunity pass her by, Sakura opened her window and yelled loud enough to wake-up her mother. Kizashi was at work. "Ohayo!"
The puzzled expression on his face was priceless. He stopped, looking in all directions until he found the owner of the voice. "O-Ohayo, miss!" he greeted, falling into a respectful bow.
Sakura thought it was cute how flustered he looked. She stole a glance at the clock on her bedside table. I have plenty of time to train until Kakashi-sensei shows-up. She faced Lee again. "Would you mind if I join you on your morning run?"
His eyes brightened a great deal. "Not at all! I shall do some push-ups while I wait for you."
She chuckled. His determination was something else entirely. She had been stupid back then, to ignore and treat him badly. Honestly, how many people would have been open to the idea of training with a stranger?
Not many, and luckily for Sakura, Lee wasn't one of them.
"What are you doing up this early?!" Mebuki demanded to know, hands on her hips as she barged inside her room.
She sweatdropped. "I'm going training, mom."
"Oh." was all she said as she stifled a yawn and left her alone to get ready.
Sakura hadn't known what to expect at first but thankfully Lee didn't seem to have fallen in love with her at first sight like he did at The Chunin Exams.
He was a slave driver. In a good way, though. His resilience made her want to be better, to run more, to run faster, to push herself to her limits. She had the will but sadly, not the stamina and four laps around Konoha later had made that very clear to Sakura.
Did my body really use to be this weak?
She didn't want to believe that, though the burning pain in her limbs should have been more than enough to prove it. Lee had taken pity on her, aware not everyone could withstand his training routine and suggested they sit down somewhere, drink some water, and get to know each other.
Sakura had liked that idea very much. She got to find out a lot of things about the boy clad in green spandex. Lee was an orphan, much like Naruto was. She had assumed that but wasn't entirely sure. His life had been tough. A family of shinobi had adopted him once but gave him up once they discovered he couldn't mould chakra, not like most people could. Sakura had clenched her fists then with barely restrained anger. He had assured her that Team Guy was all the family he needed. He told her about Neji and Tenten and about his sensei, of course. He told her that taijutsu was his biggest passion and how he'd like to be a teacher someday to all the kids who aren't born talented and that have to rely on hard work to make a living and name for themselves.
Her respect for Lee grew a little more in those few hours they got to spend together before they had to part ways. She had told him little about herself with the promise of sharing more if they met again for running.
Nevertheless to say, she knew what she will be doing early in the morning from now on.
When she met her team for today's training, Sakura looked less like a warrior princess and more like a... well, just a warrior, period. Her messy bun hadn't survived Lee's routine, not any more than her blue sandals had. As such, her pink her was dishevelled and possibly tangled up in nots and her feet were a little bloody and her dress a little dusty, and if the smile she gave them seemed tired, well...nobody looked perfect in the mornings.
Compared to her, Sasuke and Naruto resembled fashion models. Err...almost, the brooding and the orange jumpsuit respectively kind of ruined it.
And though Sakura had, with experience, managed to distract the blond (honestly, Naruto could fuss over someone he cared for just a like a mother hen) and Sasuke's interest had been minimal at best, barely visible in the small arch of his brow...Kakashi was a different story all together.
"Boys..." he had begun with a calmness that sounded far more dangerous than outright anger. "I thought the lesson I gave you about teamwork had gotten into your skulls." he closed his book shut. She cringed at the loud sound it made. "When your teammate comes to our meeting spot looking like Sakura is currently looking, you don't nag at her about it." he looked at Naruto when he said that. "And you don't brush it off and look in the opposite direction either." at this, he threw a meaningful glance in Sasuke's direction. When he turned to face her, he added cheerfully. "But ask her who are you supposed to kill today."
A nervous laugh escaped her. "I'm alright Kakashi-sensei. I just finished training before I got here."
Had a long pause to catch my breath even. She mentally added.
"What kind of training?"
"I ran laps around Konoha."
"With whom?"
How does he even know I had company?
Sakura grimaced. She had hoped to keep it a secret, for some time, if only to shock them with her progress one day. But fate, or rather her sensei, had other plans it seemed. "Rock Lee."
Kakashi looked positively mortified by her declaration, yet unsurprised at the same time as if the stars aligned and things had started to make sense.
Naruto, however, didn't look pacified in the least. "Who's that Sakura-chan?" he asked, visibly curious...and disturbed. Before she could have vocalized a response though, he continued. "You are not dating him, are you?!"
Their sensei had just turned three shades paler. Sakura hoped he didn't have a low blood pressure. Kakashi was currently looking up at the heavens, as if he was searching for some gods that he couldn't have been bothered with prior to Naruto's assumption. She could even imagine him thinking. 'Not Guy's student, I see enough of the man as it is.'
"No. Lee-san and I had just met."
"Sakura-chan." Naruto whined, Sasuke looked annoyed by the trivial matter they were currently debating and Kakashi looked like a man whose prayers have just been answered.
She sighed. "What Naruto?"
"Your answer wasn't clear enough."
Kami give me patience.
She loved him, she really did but her feet hurt, she felt dirty and to make it worse, Sasuke's glare on her person was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore and what's with that bandage wrapped around his hand anyway...
Shit.
Yesterday, he had stopped her fist and though Sakura didn't remember gathering chakra to enhance the force of the punch, she wasn't aware she had been aiming for Naruto and not for a non-existent Orochimaru either...
A direct hit from a chakra infused punch not only was painful, but could also lead to problems in the long run if it wasn't treated.
Sasuke should have more common sense than this.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, stomping on the overwhelming urge characteristic to medic-nin. Her healing abilities were close to non-existent now. Plus, she doubted adding insult to injury would be a good thing. Sasuke had his pride...and she had hers. As such, she turned to face an expectant looking Naruto who was still waiting for a 'clear answer.'
"I'm not planning on dating anybody." she paused. That was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She wanted to train, wanted to learn something. "Kakashi-sensei, your promise..."
Said man eye-smiled at them.
"Let's begin then."