Hello again everyone! I have to say, I'm seriously touched by the reviews I've been reading. It's very inspiring to hear so many opinions, even the occasional criticism (which I've taken in mind while writing the next chapter). I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one. It's less rushed, as you'll see, since that one was mostly just to provide backstory. Now we're onto the real story!
Or, at least, onto some character development =P
I'm going to tentatively aim for an update weekly or bimonthly, but no promises. Much as I love writing and as much as I've already dedicated to this story (soo much scattered content written already), it's definitely not my priority - that's dedicated to my much beloved family.
(And my much less beloved college classes.)
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3: Sasuke Sucks
She couldn't stand Sasuke. He wasn't so bad at first, but after the Massacre, she couldn't look at him without thinking of him. It really didn't help that he was an ass to Naruto, for no real reason. All her brother did was try to befriend him, and yeah, maybe he had tried a little too soon after the Massacre, but he'd tried to make amends for his bad timing and the little Uchiha had rebuffed him.
Brutally.
With taijutsu.
In front of everyone.
Sakura had made it her personal goal after that to steal his place as Rookie of the Year, and after six months, was doing it successfully. Ino loathed her after that, but Sakura was too smug to care, even if it made Sasuke only act like even more of an asshole. He still beat her in taijutsu, anyways.
After that, it became a constant battle of tug of war between the two of them. The title passed back and forth so frequently that Iruka-sensei just stopped telling them when one of them won it back. It made it harder to be as competitive, but Sakura did her best anyways. And if her skin felt like it was on fire every time she sparred with him, who needed to know, anyways?
Go for the throat. The voice urged her one match.
Hit the kidney hard enough and you'll puncture it. Try. It suggested another time.
Solar plexus. Then knee his nose into his brain.
Every time she ignored it's urging for unnecessary violence.
Sometimes, she agreed with it so strongly she almost gave in, but Naruto… Naruto she could trust, and if Naruto looked a little bit horrified every time she hit too hard, then it meant she was doing something wrong. Even if she was hitting Sasuke, who definitely deserved it. So she wouldn't do it again, and when he cheered her on, she knew she was doing right, even if the voice said otherwise.
You should listen to me, little girl. One day you'll regret not doing so. The voice warned her.
She ignored that, too.
Soon enough, they were eleven - Naruto's birthday almost seven months after her - and Jiji started training them again. Mainly training Naruto, whose chakra control was awful. Jiji instructed him every afternoon on how to do the three jutsus to pass the graduation exams, only for him to consistently fail at performing the clone jutsu. Horribly failing, too.
"I don't get it." Sakura complained to Jiji after one particularly long session. "Naruto's got everything down but the amount of chakra. What's going wrong?"
"I suspect Naruto has too much chakra for him to have a good grasp on." Jiji said contemplatively, watching Naruto's clone sag to the floor like a limp noodle.
"But… Then should he be doing something else? Like the leaf sticking practice?"
"Mm. No. He's able to do that easily, practicing that won't help." Jiji puffed thoughtfully at his pipe, pausing only when Naruto let out a vicious curse and stomped on his useless clone puddle. "Naruto! Watch your language!" Jiji barked out sharply, making Naruto jump like he'd been shocked.
"Sorry, Jiji! I just got frustrated." He called back, pouting at the end, and Sakura grinned a little at the face.
"Hm. Well, then. Let's teach him something new, shall we? Naruto, come with me." Jiji instructed and Sakura watched in dawning realization as he headed for a nearby tree. "Sakura, you already understand the basics, so I'd like you to practice applying the same understanding to walking on water. Use the koi pond and try not to kill any fish." Jiji said somewhat distractedly, focusing on Naruto, and Sakura blinked at him, a little perturbed.
She wasn't sure if she should be touched or offended that he didn't even give her the time to show her the technique himself. After a long moment of staring at his back, she decided to be touched that he had such faith in her and trudged over to the koi pond in question.
Not killing the fish turned out to be pretty easy, because the koi pond was so deep that every time she fell in, her head went under and the fish had plenty of time to dart away. "Pathetic." The voice noted disgustedly after the fourth attempt, and it only made her more determined.
It was stupidly difficult, she decided after three hours. "I hate you, Jiji." She complained just as Naruto's foot once more broke through the tree's bark - this time a whole ten feet up it - and plummeted to the ground.
"I agree." Naruto whined as he picked himself up.
Jiji, of course, just chuckled around his pipe. "You'll rethink that position when you get your hitai-ates, children." He said, then paused and looked up at the sky. "Speaking of children, Konohamaru-chan will be here shortly for dinner. Will you two join us?"
"No!" Naruto and Sakura called as one, both focusing on their newest challenge instead.
"Then I'll see you both in the morning." Jiji said around another chuckle, no doubt correctly guessing they'd train all night long.
And all night long, they did.
Sakura had almost gotten the new technique down by morning, but Naruto still was only getting about halfway up the tree, so she dedicated the last three hours before they had to go to Academy to sitting high up above him and shouting encouragements.
Jiji paused on his way to the Hokage Tower to step out back and eye Naruto as he ran up the tree towards Sakura. "You're doing very well, Naruto. I'm impressed." He said after a moment, nodding once and leaving.
It didn't seem like much, but to Naruto, it was everything, and he charged up the tree with renewed vigor.
He almost reached Sakura's foot, and she wiggled her toes at him as he tumbled down. "So close!" She shouted down at him teasingly, grinning at his pained groan of a response. She ignored how similar she was behaving to how Itachi had when she was in Naruto's place.
It took two days for them to get it, and three days for them to be able to consistently do it. Jiji celebrated with a triple chocolate cake that had both Naruto and Sakura grinning, then escorted them out back again. "Try it again, Naruto, and remember - use less chakra than before." Jiji instructed, and Naruto complied.
Sakura whooped loudly when a perfectly formed clone appeared beside him. "You did it!" She cheered, bouncing on her heels and grinning. He looked stunned for a moment before grinning widely, nodding.
After a moment, though, his grin fell away and he started to look worried. "I did, but… it's really difficult. Is it really going to be useful?" He asked uncertainly and Jiji responded before Sakura could.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, watching you struggle with this gave me an idea. You and Sakura both have incredibly large chakra reserves for how young you are. Sakura, however, has an innately magnificent control that you don't have - which is in no way your fault, Naruto." Jiji added the last part hastily at Naruto's crumbling expression. "But it means you'll struggle more. Chakra control is difficult to train, and Sakura's blessed in that it comes very easily to her. With this in mind, I've come up with an idea." Jiji frowned softly, falling silent for a long moment before looking at Naruto sternly.
"When you pass your graduation exams and receive your hitai-ate, I'll give you a scroll that will teach you a very powerful variation of the clone jutsu. It requires far more chakra than your average clone, which makes it ideal for your use."
"Really, Jiji?" Naruto asked eagerly, his eyes flying wide.
"Really." Jiji confirmed with a soft smile that grew when Naruto let out a cheer. "As for you, my dear girl," Jiji added, turning to Sakura while Naruto continued hopping and cheering like an over exuberant maniac, "I will introduce you to someone who will teach you to use your tanto, if you're interested."
For a moment, she hesitated. Itachi had given her that tanto and since his… crime… she'd left it tucked in a box under her bed. But on the other hand, she'd really liked using it. She chewed her lip before slowly nodding. "Can I think about it?" She asked warily. "I think I would, but…"
"I understand." Jiji assured her with a warm smile. "Let me know the week before your exams, hm?"
"Yes, Jiji." Sakura promised, smiling back at him. He ruffled her hair and she pretended to be bothered by it.
When Sakura came out of the examination room with a hitai-ate in her hand, Naruto had leapt up and hugged her with a beaming grin, even though they were surrounding by other graduates. "You did it!" Sakura greeted him with a grin of her own, relieved to see the hitai-ate he, too, had in his hand.
"You should've seen the look on Iruka-sensei's face when I made the clone!" Naruto cackled shamelessly. "Mizuki-sensei was about to call a medic."
"Oh, Naruto, that's awesome!" Sakura grinned at him, lifting her own hitai-ate up for his examination.
"How're you gonna wear it, Sakura-chan? I'm doing it around my forehead, of course!" Naruto decided aloud, already lifting it up to fasten it in place.
"I haven't decided yet." Sakura said with a shrug, scanning over the graduates in the room. Almost all of them had passed, from the looks of it. She was the last one to test, right behind Naruto, thanks to the fact that their last name started it 'Uz'. Sasuke, the only other 'U' name, was leaning against the wall next to the exit, hitai-ate already on his forehead, with his eyes closed as he ignored everyone.
Ino, the world's most annoying blonde (Definitely not Naruto, though that was the common assumption) was sitting beside him, smiling adoringly at the boy ignoring her. It was pathetic, and Sakura looked away with a small grimace.
"Con- congratulations, U-uzumaki-san. Uzumaki-san." Hinata Hyuuga said to Naruto and her with a small, tremulous smile. Naruto beamed brightly at her while Sakura's gaze was drawn to the hitai-ate around her neck.
That was an interesting idea, but Sakura didn't like the thought of someone being able to choke her with her own hitai-ate. That would be a terribly embarrassing way to die, really. Shikamaru Nara was in the process of tying his around his bicep, which was a way better idea, and one she decided to consider. Ino…
Ino, Sakura was horrified to realize, had the idea she liked best. Hers was fastened around her hips like a belt, and Sakura liked it.
Uhg.
"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Iruka called as he stepped out of the exam room, immediately cutting Naruto off mid-babble at Hinata. They all turned to him expectantly and he looked them over with a small frown. "You're all to report back here tomorrow, in the usual classroom, at nine AM to receive your team assignments."
And Sakura had a sudden, horrifying thought that had her seizing Naruto's hand tightly. He looked at her sharply in concern, but Sakura just bit her lip, listening to Iruka.
"After your assignments, you'll spend the afternoon with your new sensei, so inform your parents that you may not be home until night. And congratulations, all of you." Iruka concluded warmly, smiling at the group. "Go on and head out."
No one had to be told twice. The group rushed out of the academy, many of them having parents waiting nearby. Sakura pulled Naruto along by his hand, the blonde following along without protest. "Congratulations, son." Sakura heard a man say to Shikamaru as they passed, who grunted in reply. "And Ino-chan, too!"
Sakura and Naruto were out of earshot before the annoying blonde girl could respond. "What if we're assigned to different teams?" Sakura whispered anxiously to Naruto, whose eyes widened.
"No! They wouldn't!" He cried, appalled. "I mean, would they?" Naruto asked uncertainly. "No, that would be dumb. We work great together!" Sakura nodded her agreement, but she wasn't convinced. "We'll talk to Jiji. Tell him he can't separate us."
"You can't tell the Hokage what to do." Sakura argued, but she'd relaxed a bit at his confidence.
"Psh. Jiji listens to us. Jiji loooves us." Naruto sang obnoxiously and Sakura reluctantly smiled a bit. "Ah! A smile! Naruto wins again!" Naruto threw his arms - and her arm he was still holding - up in the air in a ridiculous cheer.
If they do separate us, Sakura thought as she watched him with a soft smile, then I'll quit as a shinobi.
So pathetically clingy. The voice said in an almost disappointed tone.
Sakura didn't let her smile falter as Naruto suddenly took the lead, pulling her off towards home.
You'll never get strong like that. You should really listen to me instead. The voice suggested mildly. If you did, you'd never have to worry about being hurt ever again.
It was an appealing promise, Sakura had to admit, but as she listened to Naruto chatter on about Iruka-sensei's reaction to him passing…
She simply couldn't imagine distancing herself from her brother.
"Congratulations." Jiji greeted them warmly as he walked into the living room a few hours later. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your graduation. There was an incident." He said in sincere apology that Naruto immediately waved off.
"It's fine, Jiji, we figured. Look!" He threw a hand up to wiggle the hitai-ate around his forehead, grinning brightly.
"I see." Jiji said with a hint of amusement. "As I said, congratulations. Now. I have arranged the gifts I promised you, but first, I wish to discuss something with the both of you." Jiji explained, gesturing to the sofa across the coffee table from him. Naruto didn't hesitate to throw himself onto the sofa and Sakura followed at a more sedate pace, momentarily anxious at the mention of her gift. She'd taken up his offer for kenjutsu lessons, but it still made her nervous to think about.
"Jiji? First, can I ask about how teams are set up?" She asked quietly and Jiji looked at her with a warm smile.
"I can guess what you're worried about. I'm not supposed to tell you this, so keep it between us - but don't worry. You and Naruto are on the same team."
"Really?!" Naruto squealed as Sakura relaxed, slumping her shoulders a bit in relief.
"I was worried for a moment." She admitted freely and Jiji's smile softened.
"Yes, really. The teams are designed to balance one another's strengths, and while you and Naruto and both better at close fighting, we can all agree that Naruto has great potential to become a jutsu specialist. You are, regardless, one another's greatest strength, so it would have been a bad idea to separate you two." Jiji explained, holding up a hand before either of them could ask anything else. "Now, we can talk more about this later, but for now, I wish to discuss something with you both." He said, his voice and expression becoming unusually serious.
Sakura straightened immediately and Naruto leaned in a bit in concern. "Is something wrong, Jiji?"
"Not exactly. This is just a… difficult conversation." Jiji said slowly, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. "It's something the Council and I have debated at length, and we've decided it would be best to give you information that has to do with you both. I can't stress enough that this is a secret, Sakura, Naruto. It's an S-Rank secret, in fact, and you both must swear to me you will not share it without consulting me first."
For a moment, Sakura and Naruto both just stared at him, shocked by his words. An S-Rank secret?
Well. The voice mused softly, making Sakura twitch in surprise. She reached out to take Naruto's hand, hoping the movement concealed the twitch. Isn't this a surprise.
"Okay, Jiji." Naruto said slowly, letting Sakura cling to his hand. "We swear."
"Good." Jiji nodded once, clearing his throat. "This is a bit of a long story, but both of you must listen. There was once, not very long ago, another hidden village that is rarely spoken about in your Academy teachings. It's not for lack of care, or because it's secret, but because it's very painful to speak of." Jiji began slowly, making a vague gesture to the swirls on Naruto's orange jumpsuit. "That, in fact, was their symbol."
"Uh. Why's it on my jumpsuit?" Naruto asked, blinking owlishly, and Sakura hissed at him, making him jump.
"He said listen. Jeez, Naruto, not even a minute!" Sakura scolded and he blushed.
"Yes. Well." Jiji interrupted pointedly, making her blush a bit too. "That symbol is on all of our standard shinobi clothing, including the Chuunin flak jackets. This is because Konoha used to be longstanding allies with the hidden village, known as Uzushio. The reason I'm telling you about this is because you two are the last surviving members of Uzushio's strongest clan in Konoha. The Uzumaki clan, you may have guessed."
"I-" Sakura cut herself off immediately, frowning at Jiji, who frowned slightly back at her.
"I understand you'll have questions but please, let me finish my story first. Now, Uzushio was always a very close ally to Konoha, as I said - but it also housed the powerful Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki's had no kekkei genkai to speak of, but they were known for their incredible resilience to illness, their longevity, and their chakra. They almost always had very large chakra reserves. Rarely, though, they also had a very special type of chakra. Sakura, you have a diluted variation of that, and Naruto, your chakra is rather ordinary. Both of you, however, have the chakra reserves."
Jiji paused for a moment, tapping his fingertips against the opposite hand's knuckles. "Now, you are not blood siblings, as you know by now. But your father, Sakura, was Uzumaki, and your mother, Naruto, was as well. Both of you are half-Uzumaki, and both of you are extremely gifted, even if you're slightly less obvious about it, Naruto. It's simply that your chakra control isn't as refined as Sakura's - but that will make you even more dangerous in the future, when you've increased your arsenal."
"However, back to the point - thirty-two years ago, Uzushio fought alongside us in the Second Shinobi War. They were known, the Uzumaki's in particular, for their incredible feats with fuinjutsu. It grew to the point that Kirigakure destroyed the village to stop them. They almost entirely wiped out it's inhabitants, and the few survivors scattered." Jiji paused for another long minute, staring at his hands before looking back up at them. "Your parents were survivors, among others who have since passed on."
"Uzushio's history is a brilliant one, one that should never die, and if you are interested, I would be honored to teach you everything I know so that you might let their legacy live on through you."
"I think I would be interested." Sakura said quietly after a short moment of thought. "But I don't know enough to say that for sure."
"Well if Sakura-chan does it, then me too." Naruto said with a firm nod that Jiji smiled slightly at.
The smile vanished almost immediately. "Now, Uzushio directly ties into the S-Rank secret I'm about to share with you. Originally, the Council planned for you to not be told of this until you were already well trained shinobi, but the seal has weakened faster than expected." The word 'seal' had Sakura sitting straight up again, eyes narrowed in thought. "I mentioned that Uzumaki's were occasionally gifted with a special type of chakra. There have been two such Uzumaki's who've lived in Konoha with that chakra type. The first was Uzumaki Mito, the First Hokage's wife."
"Whoa." Naruto blinked at Jiji. "How come we've never heard of her?"
"Because, Naruto. She's part of the S-Rank secret." Jiji explained solemnly enough that Naruto's excitement bled away, replaced by the same trepidation Sakura was feeling. "Uzumaki Mito was the reason that Hashirama-sama won in his legendary fight against Uchiha Madara. You recall that Madara attacked Hashirama-sama using the Nine-Tailed Fox itself?"
"Yeah." Naruto confirmed as Sakura nodded. The voice in her head was growling, and it made her uneasy.
"When Hashirama-sama was finally able to bind the Kyuubi, Mito-sama used the Uzumaki's legendary sealing jutsus to seal him inside her own body. She became the first of what are now known as Jinchuuriki."
"Jinchuuriki?" Sakura echoed questioningly and Jiji nodded.
"Indeed. Jinchuuriki are normal people who, through the use of fuinjutsu, have one of the nine bijuu sealed within them. In Mito-sama's case, she was the very first Jinchuuriki ever, and the very first one for the Kyuubi. Mito-sama lived for a very long time, as well, only finally passing on just over twenty years ago. Keep in mind, she was an adult when Konoha was founded."
"What!" Naruto shrieked and Jiji chuckled a bit.
"Oh, yes. Living proof, you see, of Uzumaki's legendary longevity. She far outlived Hashirama. But she knew that one day she would pass on and that when she did, the Kyuubi sealed inside her would be unleashed once more. So she planned, and she waited, and one day, a girl was born in Uzushio who was also blessed with Mito-sama's special chakra. Her name was Kushina, Naruto-chan, and she was your mother." Jiji said that bit gently.
For a moment, Naruto could just stare at him, his eyes wide. Sakura bit her lip, squeezing his hand, and he smile tremulously. "Can you… can you tell me about her?" He asked, so hopeful that it made her chest hurt.
"Of course. Perhaps… Perhaps I should have done so much sooner." Jiji said solemnly. "I cannot tell you about your father. Not yet. That is another S-Rank secret, and one that's far too dangerous for you to know yet." Jiji paused for a second, reading the mutiny in Naruto and Sakura's faces. "When you are Chuunin. Then, I will tell you."
"Gah." Naruto huffed in defeat. "But you'll tell me about… about mom?" His voice shook unsurely on the new word and Jiji's expression softened as he nodded.
"Yes, but first, the S-Rank secret. Your mother, Kushina, became the second Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi. She was a young teen, only a little older than you are now, when Mito-sama died and the Kyuubi was sealed in her." Jiji explained, falling silent again. He stared at his hands once more, this time for several tense minutes, and when he finally looked up at a nervous Sakura and Naruto once more, his eyes were pained. "Shortly after she gave birth to you, Naruto, the seal broke. We don't know why, or how, but the seal shattered and the Kyuubi broke free."
Naruto let out a soft, pained sound, gripping Sakura's hand a tiny bit harder, but he didn't interrupt. "The Kyuubi attacked Konoha, as you well know, and the Fourth Hokage stopped it's assault. But what you don't know is that, contrary to popular rumor, the Fourth didn't kill the bijuu. It's not possible to kill one - or rather, even if you did, it would reform in a number of years. They're beings of chakra, nothing more." Jiji sighed heavily. "Instead, he sealed it in a young infant, in the hopes that her particularly strong chakra control would help her keep the demon at bay."
Sakura felt the blood drain from her face, and the voice in her head laughed darkly. "This changes nothing, Sakura." Jiji said firmly, drawing himself up. "But you are the current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."
Surprise.
Silence filled the room for several seconds as Jiji and Naruto both stared at her, one firmly and the other in shock. "But Sakura-chan's so nice!"
"Well of course she is." Jiji said, looking torn between laughing and staying stern. "It changed little. The Kyuubi isn't a part of her, it's just sealed in her. Like sealing a kunai into a scroll. It doesn't make the scroll into some strange kunai-paper hybrid, does it?"
"Well, no." Naruto admitted after a moment. Sakura appreciated the analogy, but she was more focused on not sweating her skin off, suddenly feeling very anxious.
"It makes you no different, Sakura-chan." Jiji said firmly enough that she nervously lifted her gaze to meet his. "You are just a girl. A shinobi, in fact. You are not the Kyuubi, and you being a Jinchuuriki does not make you a demon or a monster."
She was sure he was trying to reassure her. It was working, somewhat, but mostly, it just made her angry. Of course she wasn't different. Of course she wasn't a monster. She was just a girl. So why did everyone treat her like that in spite of it? Why did everyone hate her for something that was done to her. It wasn't like she wanted the Kyuubi sealed in her, whispering such awful things in her head.
"Naruto. You may not understand it yet, but when you become a Chuunin, you will. You, my dear boy, are your father's living legacy." Jiji informed him gently, making the boy's blue eyes fill up with tears. He sniffled, using his free hand to wipe at his eyes, and Jiji's gaze moved to her. "And you, Sakura-chan, are Kushina's living legacy."
Sakura just nodded, even though the words did send a rush of warmth through her.
But later that night, when she and Naruto were curled up and trying to sleep, her anxiety returned to her full force. If she was Kushina's legacy, she was failing at it, because the voice - the Kyuubi? - was still whispering in her head. Mocking her. "Naruto?" Sakura whispered anxiously and he grunted quietly in response. "Can I tell you a secret? Swear you won't tell Jiji?"
"What is it?" Naruto murmured and she could hear the frown in his voice.
"He talks to me." Sakura said softly. "The Kyuubi," she tagged on when Naruto didn't react. "He tells me to do awful things. To hurt people. But I listen to you." Sakura added anxiously, biting her lip.
After a moment of tense silence, Naruto draped an arm over her face, covering her eyes with a warm forearm. "Well tell him to shut up and get some sleep."
She laughed wetly in relief. Shut up, she thought, and the Kyuubi growled.
She got up early the next day, anxiety interrupting her sleep, and headed downstairs to wait for Jiji in the kitchen. It didn't take long and she kept herself entertained by tracing a medium-ranged explosive tag onto some paper. In fact, she was on her sixth one when Jiji came downstairs.
"Should you really be doing that first thing in the morning, Sakura-chan?" He asked more curiously than anything and Sakura offered a small shrug in response.
"Maybe? It's probably good practice for when I'm in the field, isn't it?" She offered uncertainly. "I mean, I'm sure sometime I'll have to make more of these while half asleep."
"So you intend to use them in combat?" Jiji mused slowly, setting a kettle on the stove. "You mainly use short-ranged attacks, Sakura-chan. How will you incorporate them into it?"
"Carefully, Jiji." Sakura informed him, making him smile a bit. "I was thinking kunai. Or maybe using a jutsu to throw them? I'm not sure. But Naruto and I are a strongly short-ranged team, aren't we?"
"Mm. Yes." Jiji acknowledged thoughtfully, carefully preparing his tea. "But your third teammate may make up for that, depending on who you get. You'll need to think of ways to tie them into your duo with Naruto - a team is made up of three, not two." Jiji said sternly and Sakura nodded.
"We'll think of some stuff once we know who they are, Jiji." She promised. He gave a soft hum of acknowledgement as he pulled the kettle off the stove and carefully finished up the tea. He turned around with two cups in hand, setting one at the island in front of Sakura. He stood at the other side of the island, setting his cup down and watching it steam for a moment.
"Sakura-chan." He said suddenly and Sakura looked back up at him, wary at the solemnity of his expression. "I want you to understand that I truly meant what I told you last night. You are not the Kyuubi, and I have never doubted that for a moment."
"I…" Sakura hesitated, looking down at her hands. I can't tell him.
No. You can't. The voice - the Kyuubi - assured her almost smugly. He would lock us away forever, little girl. He'd seal your chakra, just to make sure I could never get free. All at the cost of you. He purred.
She really… really hated his purr.
"You are you, Sakura-chan, and you are capable of love on another level than what most can achieve." Jiji told her gently, dragging her attention back to him, and she looked at him uncertainly. "The love you hold for your brother is incredible, and far beyond anything the Kyuubi could feel. Never forget that that's what sets you apart, Sakura-chan. So long as you can feel love, you are safe from him."
Pathetic. The Kyuubi instantly snorted.
But Sakura didn't care, because at that moment, Naruto stumbled into the room yawning - and as she stared at him and Jiji, she realized that he was right.
She loved Naruto without a doubt, and Jiji too, and that made it so much easier to ignore the Kyuubi's violent encouragements.
The walk to the Academy was miserable. The conversation the night before only made her even more hyper aware of the glares sent her way, and she hated it. It wasn't right. If anything, they should appreciate the fact that she was the only thing keeping the Kyuubi from ripping them to pieces.
Oh, but you want to rip them to pieces, too. The Kyuubi purred, and Sakura couldn't even deny that.
It was kind of an appealing prospect. People couldn't glare at her if they didn't have eyeballs.
Good girl. The Kyuubi chuckled.
She ignored him for that one, irritation making her skin feel too hot. She fought it back, trying to remind herself of Jiji's comforting words just two hours ago. "Who do you think our third teammate will be?" Naruto mused, distracting her immediately.
"I don't know, but I hope it isn't Ino." Sakura said. She was never going to forgive her for being first of their class to tie her hitai-ate around her waist. Now Sakura would look like she was copying her.
"Tch. No way. Ino's not very good." Naruto said dismissively. "We'll get someone awesome, I'd bet. Maybe Shikamaru!"
"Maybe." That wouldn't be so bad, since she was still pretty sure he was smarter than he let show. He finished tests way too quickly, and always read ahead so he could sleep in class. "I like Shino. He's quiet, but smart."
"He's creepy. And he talks weird." Naruto grimaced and Sakura couldn't help but grin a bit, the uncomfortable heat fading.
"That's true." She admitted as they reached the Academy, entering the main hall. "I guess we'll see. I wonder who we'll get as a sensei."
"I hope it's not Asuma. I know he's family and all, but I hate smoke." Naruto whined softly and Sakura nodded her agreement, both of them falling silent as they entered the classroom.
They'd only interacted with Asuma on the rare occasion, he and Jiji not getting along very well, and he seemed nice enough. But he smoked way too much, it hurt her eyes. Jiji's pipe at least smelled more earthy than smokey.
She and Naruto silently slid into their usual seats, Choji next to Naruto and immediately offering him a chip while Sakura perched on the edge of the aisle. "Ooh, barbeque." Naruto whispered, eagerly accepting the chip.
"They're the best." Choji agreed quietly and Naruto nodded enthusiastically.
"Mouth closed, Naruto." Sakura chided distractedly, watching as the world's second most annoying girl, Ami, slid into the room. Her hitai-ate was also around her neck, like Hinata's, and Sakura rolled her eyes. "I hope someone chokes her with it." She muttered.
Naruto burst out laughing. "Anego, that's awful." He cackled, making Ino and Ami both shoot them vicious glares from their spots in the room. Sakura met Ami's stare head on and imitated putting a noose around her neck and choking, sticking her tongue out and everything. Ami's eyes flew wide and Naruto slumped in his seat, laughing even harder.
She was pretty sure she heard Kiba snickering behind her.
"That's enough." Iruka barked as he entered the room, shooting Sakura a disapproving look and making her abruptly straighten up. "Alright, everyone's here, so I'm going to read off the teams. Team One, Ami, Kuren, and Jachi. After break, head to the room directly across the hall and sit together at the table marked 'One'." Iruka instructed, barely looking up from his clipboard to smile reassuringly at them.
Sakura waited patiently for Iruka to say her name. "Team Seven. Uzumaki Sakura," He smiled slightly as she straightened in her seat again. "Uzumaki Naruto."
"Woo!" Naruto cheered, turning to grin excitedly at her.
"And Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto frowned.
Sakura frowned, too.
Sasuke turned in his seat across the aisle to frown back at them, his eyes narrowed. "WHAT?" Naruto finally shrieked and Sakura leaned away with a grimace.
A punch to the throat would silence him.
"Why do two awesome shinobi like us have to be stuck with that asshole?" Naruto demanded and Iruka heaved a heavy sigh, lowering his clipboard to face Naruto fully.
"It's to balance your team, Naruto. Sasuke is Rookie of the Year,"
"Curses." Sakura smacked the table in frustration. She really thought she'd had it.
You could've listened and punched him in the throat, and then you would have the title.
Stop telling me to throat punch people. Sakura snapped in her mind, scowling at the table.
"Sakura is, of course, a very close second, and you… Well, Naruto, you're dead last."
"WHAT?!" Naruto shrieked again and Sakura pat him on his back.
"Let it go, Naruto." She muttered and he sulked at her.
"But Sa-ku-raaaaaa!"
"I'm gonna go beat him up." Naruto had proclaimed the moment break started and Sakura had waved him off with a sigh. She'd learned long ago not to waste time trying to stop him.
That had been an hour ago. Now, the two of them were finally filing into the room, and Sakura was amused to note Sasuke had a bit of a rope burn around one of his biceps. Naruto had a fat lip, though, and Sakura mimed throwing a lasso at Sasuke to cheer him up. It worked, though his responding grin made his lip bleed, and if Sasuke scowled any harder his face would fall off.
"Enjoy your break?" She couldn't help but ask once the two of them were sitting, with her in the middle to play mediator. Sasuke ignored her.
Naruto just snickered.
Three hours after that, all three of them were bored out of their mind. Or, well, Sasuke was. She and Naruto were only a little bored, playing a rapid fire game of 'I, Spy'. "Green." Naruto declared from where he sat at the table in front of her and Sasuke, facing backwards in his chair.
"Board."
"Nope."
"Leaves."
"Yep."
"Black." Sakura said.
"Hair?"
"No."
"Uh. Eyes?" Naruto guessed, squinting at Sasuke.
"I can't see them, Naruto." Sakura chided, rolling her eyes.
"Right. Oh! Chair leg."
"Actually, yes." Sakura admitted, startled.
"You're both annoying."
They both ignored him. "Tan."
"Ceiling tile."
"Damn it." Naruto cursed, shooting the ceiling a dark look. Movement caught her eye.
"White." Sakura chose slowly, eyes shifting to stare at the window. Just outside it was a shinobi with spiky white hair, hanging upside down with his hitai-ate over one of his eyes. And he was staring at her.
"Chalk." Naruto guessed obliviously.
"No." Sakura denied as the shinobi arched an eyebrow at her.
"Paper!"
"Nope." The shinobi snapped his hand once in a short wave. "Look out the window."
"Cloud?" Naruto guessed as he turned, only to flinch violently at the sight of the shinobi. "Ahg! What the hell!" Even Sasuke twitched a little, though she thought that might've been more out of annoyance than surprise.
"Language." Sakura scolded absently as she stood up, heading over to the window to slide it open.
"That's our sensei?" She heard Naruto mutter as she took a step back, giving the shinobi space to swing himself in.
"You took your time." The Jounin said by way of greeting, frowning under his mask at her.
"Doors exist for a reason." Sakura said with an unapologetic shrug.
"And you're rude, too."
"Well my parents were pretty absent, being dead and all."
"And offensive." He said disapprovingly. "My first opinion of you all? You suck."
"Hey!" Naruto protested immediately.
"I've been told I'm socially awkward." Sakura informed the jounin with another shrug. "I'm Uzumaki Sakura," She added, gesturing over her shoulder to Naruto. "And the blonde is my brother, Naruto."
"Ah. Which leaves the Uchiha. Well." The Jounin heaved a heavy sigh, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and then cheerfully clapped his hands together. "Let's go to the roof, then!" He announced, then flung himself right back out the window. Sakura stuck her head out just to see his feet disappearing over the edge of the roof, frowning incredulously.
Their sensei sure was… different.
"Great. I'm never going to learn anything." Sasuke growled under his breath as he and Naruto reluctantly headed to the window. Sakura climbed her way out, then used chakra to scale the rest of the way to the roof. Naruto followed a moment later, Sasuke just leaping his way up right behind him.
"Did you two just walk your way up?" The Jounin asked, sounding surprised, and Sakura frowned at him a bit because she was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that. "Dead last indeed." He muttered. "Hmph. Well, let's introduce ourselves then. We'll start with the cute one." He pointed at Sakura, who frowned even harder at that. "Tell us your name, your likes, your dislikes, your dreams, and hobbies."
She stared at him flatly. "Really?"
"You're wasting our time." Sasuke accused, actually agreeing with Sakura for once.
"You're boring, too." The Jounin said in a disappointed sigh.
"Fine. My name is Uzumaki Sakura, though I already introduced myself so I'm not sure why I have to repeat it. I like Naruto. I dislike people who are rude." The Jounin frowned at her. "My dreams are definitely strange. Last night I dreamt I turned into a unicorn and stabbed a turkey because it ate a sock." She recited dryly, purposefully misunderstanding the command. From the arched look the Jounin gave her, he knew it, too. "My hobbies include practicing with Naruto and Jiji, reading up on jutsu, and soon I'll be learning kenjutsu as well."
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I like Sakura-chan too, and Jiji and Iruka-sensei and ramen! Especially Sakura and ramen." Naruto proclaimed without having to be told, nodding along with his last words. Sakura sent him a warm grin for that. "I dislike people who are mean to Sakura-chan. My dream is to replace Jiji as Hokage! My hobbies are pranks and training with Sakura and learning stuff from Jiji!"
"Aa… cute." The Jounin said approvingly. "And onto the glaring one." He pointed at Sasuke before folding his hands in his lap and looking at them expectantly.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I don't like many things. I dislike lots of things. I don't really have a dream, but I have a goal to kill a particular person." He intoned flatly, sounding somewhat dangerous. The intention was damaged by how young and and green he was, though, and mostly she just thought he was… weird. Sakura twitched slightly at his words, though, grimacing a bit. Itachi, no doubt.
We could kill him first. It would feel good, and imagine the little pest's reaction… Kyuubi purred and Sakura's lips twitched a tiny bit. Sasuke's face if she did it… it would probably keep her going for weeks.
Maybe later. She decided and the Kyuubi gave an irritated growl but said nothing else. She was glad for it.
"Do your hobbies include kicking kittens by any chance?" She couldn't help but mutter sarcastically to Naruto, who didn't know the definition of subtle and promptly burst into terribly muffled giggles. The Jounin stared at them flatly and she urgently elbowed him in the arm, trying to look innocent.
"Wonderful." The Jounin sighed heavily again. "Well, then. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like a lot of things, and dislike some things. I don't really want to share my dreams, and I have lots of hobbies."
So… he told us nothing. Sakura fought the urge to sigh herself.
"Well that's it for the introductions. Tomorrow we'll be starting our duties as Team Seven."
"Woohoo! What duties? Missions?" Naruto asked eagerly and Sasuke shot him an annoyed look for his loudness.
"Survival training." Kakashi corrected, making Sakura frown slightly.
"Did the Academy not do a good enough job covering that?" She asked curiously. It was possible - survival training as a student would be understandably easier than as an official shinobi…
"It isn't the same type of surviving." Kakashi said brightly, and Sakura immediately felt uneasy. "You three will have to survive against me. And if you fail, well… you should know," Kakashi revealed slowly, "that of the twenty-seven graduates from your class, only nine of you will become genin - the rest will return to the Academy."
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted again and Sakura's eyebrows flew up, then furrowed. "Then all of that was for nothing?"
"The graduation? No, that was to see if you had what it took to become genin - whether or not you'll actually do it successfully is for us sensei to find out. Anyways, head to training ground three first thing tomorrow morning. Be there at eight and don't eat breakfast or you'll throw up. Goodnight!" Kakashi waved brightly at them before shunshin'ing away. Naruto stared stupidly after him, jaw dropped, and Sasuke rose with a grunt.
"Don't hold me back."
"Shut up." Sakura spat at him angrily enough that he actually turned to look at her, eyebrows raised a bit. "Naruto and I work well together, we've spent our entire lives training together - it's you who'll hold us back tomorrow, Uchiha."
"Yeah! And we better not fail because of you, teme!" Naruto cried, dragged from his daze.
"Tch. If we fail, it'll be because of you, dead last."
Sakura glared at his back. He was lucky he was already walking away.
"Don't bother, Naruto." She advised when he was clearly preparing to charge after the Uchiha. "We should get home and talk to Jiji about that jutsu he wanted to teach you."
"Alright. Hey!" Naruto brightened up. "And you get to learn kenjutsu, too! So cool. I wish I could use a sword."
"It is pretty cool, isn't it?" Sakura admitted with a grin, anger forgotten as they headed back towards the Hokage's home. "I hope I'm not too bad at it. I don't think I'll make it my focus, though."
"No? I want to focus on jutsus like Jiji said. I'm going to become a jutsu expert like him! What'll you focus on, then?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I bet you will get it. Even if we fail tomorrow, we'll just train some more and graduate again next year." Sakura decided aloud and Naruto nodded, throwing his hands up behind his head as they walked.
"Yeah, but we won't fail anyways. We're great, Anego."
They failed. Sakura was still a little bit shocked over that fact as she and Sasuke sat there, Naruto tied to the post between them.
It had started off bad from the very beginning. Kakashi showed up hours later, again, and then Naruto attacked him before their sensei had even said it was time. Sakura hadn't hesitated to throw herself into the fray after him, even though she knew two brand new genin were no better against a jounin than one. Sasuke had watched them with a superior little smirk as Naruto got sent flying, and Sakura had jumped away before Kakashi could turn on her too.
But the second he did say 'start', Sasuke had ditched her, and Sakura had retreated to get Naruto herself - only for the blonde to throw himself at Kakashi before they could come up with a plan.
Again.
Kakashi had ranted and raved at them when the test was over (failed). He insulted them, suggesting (demanding) that they all outright quit as shinobi. Sasuke, the twitchy little bastard, had taken the insults and literally run with them, charging at Kakashi with a furious glare. Sakura, suffering from the sudden sinking feeling that she was actually the only one with common sense, (seriously, he was a jounin!) didn't move to help. Not that she even could have, because Kakashi had literally just sat on Sasuke, using one foot to push his face into the ground and everything, and had just continued on with his lecture.
"Naruto, your eagerness was recklessness, and if we were in a real fight, you could've gotten yourself killed - and taken your sister down with you. Sasuke, you didn't even try to work with anyone, no doubt thinking that they'd hold you back. Sakura, you were the only one who got even close to the idea when you tried to work with Naruto, but you blatantly ignored and dismissed Sasuke as well."
"In short, you all fail."
Sakura felt the sudden urge to choke Sasuke and Naruto both. She forced it down and listened intently to Kakashi anyways - if for no other reason than because none of his complaints were some variation of her being 'a monster'. She was actually pretty surprised how he treated her exactly like the others. Even if that meant he was being insulting and offensive.
Which led to them sitting there in sullen silence, picking at their food. Well, Sasuke and her were - Naruto was strung up between them under strict orders to not be fed. "Gaaaaaah. I'm soo hungry." Naruto whined as if reading her thoughts and Sakura heaved a tired sigh.
"So am I." She admitted after a moment, giving her meal an unimpressed look. After that painfully bad fight with Kakashi, she'd need three of them to satisfy her.
It was barely a second later, though, that Naruto perked right back up. "But it's fine! I don't need food. After this is over, we'll work together to kick his ass!" He declared, the effect somewhat damaged by the loud roar his stomach gave.
Sakura grimaced, glancing at her food and hesitating. It really wasn't enough for even just her, but… Naruto was obviously hungrier. "Here." Sasuke said and she turned to see him holding his food up to Naruto.
"...Uh?" Sakura blinked, caught off guard by the random… generosity. From Sasuke, world's number one sulker.
"I don't sense him nearby, so we'll just need to be quick. Like Naruto said, we'll work together," He explained and Sakura felt even more startled, "but that won't matter much if he can't focus." The slightly scathing tone at the end ruined the effect.
"Right. I'll give some of mine, too." Sakura said, scooting in front of Naruto. She grabbed a bit of beef and rice on her chopsticks and lifted it up, offering it to Naruto. He smiled a little sheepishly at her before accepting it.
Which was the same moment there was a big explosion of leaves and smoke barely a few feet away. "AH!" Naruto screeched as she and Sasuke struggled to get into a fighting position in time.
"YOU GUYS," Kakashi roared as he charged out of the smoke, only to freeze a foot away and smile. "Pass."
Team Seven stared at him incredulously.
"...Uh?" Naruto offered uncertainly.
"Er. Why?" Sakura questioned very, very slowly, watching Kakashi's face (or one quarter of his face, really) for any signs of another intense mood swing.
"You're the first team to pass the test, actually." Kakashi said in some surprise as he straightened up. "All the others just did what I told them, even though it went against what I'd just said. Idiots. A ninja must see underneath the underneath." Kakashi lectured with a tiny frown. "Those who break the rules and codes of the shinobi lifestyle are called trash, but you know what?" Kakashi said almost thoughtfully, looking up a bit. "Those who don't put their comrades first are lower than trash."
Sakura blinked at him in surprise, glancing sideways at Naruto - who was staring at Kakashi in awe. "I don't think that'll ever be a problem for us, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said firmly, turning to look at him again.
Kakashi smiled warmly at her and nodded. "Good. That ends the training, then! All of you pass!" He declared cheerfully. Sakura wasted no time in jumping up and cutting Naruto free with a kunai. "Starting tomorrow, Team Seven will officially begin their duties. Be here at eight in the morning for your first missions!"
"Yay! We did it!" Naruto cheered, jumping excitedly. Sakura watched him with a grin, even though her ears hurt at his volume, while Kakashi and Sasuke started to leave. When Naruto started shouting, "Ninja, ninja, ninja!" over and over again, Sakura decided to catch up with them and see how long it took Naruto to realize.
(It took four entire minutes).