I don't own anything Naruto.

A/N: Baka means 'idiot'. Old sesskag habits die hard :] You might see a "Keh" in there as well.

…

The short reprieve from the night ended once the summer morning came. Relentlessly, the sun blazed down on the village hidden amongst the leaves and the high spirits from only a few hours earlier evaporated in the heat. Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing the thick air deeply as she walked down the bright and dusty road, but moved with an extra bounce in her step to hear the small bells ring quietly in her vest pocket. She would stop briefly to look into shop windows or wave to friends and acquaintances lounging on rooftops, yet her mind was occupied with thoughts about her conversation with Kakashi. He had meant many things to her in the past, from teacher to team leader to friend, but never, until today, had she really seen them as equals. It wasn't that she was not recognized for her achievements or that she needed his acknowledgement, but the fact that he had reached out to do so was one of the biggest compliments of her life. She did not need his approval and found herself enjoying it all the same.

A familiar chakra signature deliberately ebbed at her senses. Continuing her leisurely pace, Sakura's glare shifted when her long time friend appeared in a flash at her side and eyed her with feigned scorn.

"You are looking too perky for such a hot day, Sakura," Ino critiqued, fanning her blonde bangs from her face.

She could not help smiling in response. "What can I say? I had a good night."

The mind-meddling ninja's blue eyes appeared ready to pop from her skull. "WHAT!? I thought you went out with your boys? Who did you go home with? Please don't tell me it was that civilian medic again."

"Geez, Ino," she admonished. "Nothing like that."

"Well, then it couldn't have been that interesting."

Sakura narrowed her green eyes. "Perv."

"Prude."

"Pig."

"Five-head."

"Ugh!" Sakura threw her arms up. "Why are we friends again?"

Ino smiled brightly and hugged her around the waist as they walked. "Cause who else could put up with us?"

The pink-haired kunoichi giggled as they rounded the corner and approach the ninja academy.

"Oh good, the school's air conditioner is running." Ino said with relief and their steps quickened subconsciously at the mention of climate control. "So, did you go over the files Iruka-sensei gave you?"

Sakura shrugged. "I just looked at their names. After having first-hand experience with Naruto's unthinkable progress, I didn't want to form an opinion before meeting them."

They reached the door and Ino prodded while she held it open, "But, aren't you at least a little curious?"

"Of course, but I figured I would let them make the first impression."

Both sighed once the cold air goose-fleshed their skin. The door closed off the hot day behind them before the blonde asked, "What did Kakashi-sensei think of you guys at first, then?"

Sakura's steps faltered when her mind instantly went back to that first day. Naruto had set up such a simple prank, one that no jounin should have fallen for, and one she had secretly enjoyed. It was a good thing Kakashi's hair was already such a light color and unaffected by the chalk dust, because she would have not been able to mask laughing at the masked man.

"He said he hated us," she responded with wicked mirth.

Ino's laugh echoed down the halls. "Well, any first impression has to be better than that!"

This time, Sakura held the door as they walked into the classroom filled with antsy genin and a few of their jounin friends. "Here's hoping."

.

Iruka introduced each ninja to their respective team leaders with practiced ease and a sentimental smile. What made the teacher stand out amongst his peers was that he truly cared for each student that passed through the academy. Yet, it made it incredibly difficult for him to shut down his professionalism come graduation day. Their job was known for its grim mortality rate and he had to be confident sending them off into deadly situations. The best he could do was to train them with all his heart and ensure they were paired with the best suited jounin teachers.

With little fanfare, Ino had received the only single-gendered team and was satisfied with the way the three girls had looked at her with wonder.

Kiba's bunch were drawing inappropriate sketches on the chalkboard behind him while Shino's three shied away from the reticent man.

The room stilled once the name Hyuuga was announced for Sasuke's team. Hinata's little sister, Hanabi, walked up to her new sensei and they both assessed the other as enemies. The twin boys that accompanied her hung their mouths open, though it was not clear if it was because of whom they were teamed with or the hostility shown for their new teacher already. Defiantly, the young Byukugen user addressed him as, "Uchiha," deliberately foregoing the honorific. His eyes narrowed and head jerked to the side, directing her to stand behind him. Finally, after another cold glance, she followed the order.

Next, it was Sakura's turn, and her heart jumped as her eyes searched the crowd as Iruka called their names.

"Suzuki Shou."

"Hai!" The boy ironically appeared mismatched with his high, messy blonde plait and expressive golden eyes. His grin stretched wide on his tan face and gleamed like the sun. He marched down the aisle with his head high to take his place behind Sakura. They nodded at each other before the next team member was announced.

"Narita Manami."

"WHAT!?"

The proud boy behind her screamed his disbelief along with a girl who sat all the way in the back with her feet propped up on another's chair. Sakura's attention darted back and forth between the two and could immediately feel the tension. If Shou came across like sunshine, then Manami was ice. Her crystalline eyes were partially hidden behind shaggy, steel grey bangs that contrasted favorably with her porcelain skin. The rest of her hair was cut short and the too-large, dusty purple tunic hung off her. In fact, until she had spoken, Sakura had thought she was a boy. Manami stormed to her new team, taking a spot to the jounin woman's opposite side, and both genin began to fidget.

Sakura sighed. Things were not looking well for her.

The other kids snickered at the two until Iruka cleared his throat and read off the last name.

"Hayashi Tarou."

There was no response, but a tall boy rose from his seat in the middle of the room. Sakura's eyes widened. He was not fat, but a thickly built, olive-skinned, severe looking kid with calculating black eyes that reminded her of Shikamaru's. His long, black hair was pulled tightly into a low ponytail that swayed when he approached his new teacher and gave her a bow. She was taken aback by the gesture, but eased when he rose and gave her a smirk that affected only half of his face. One small incisor was missing from his grin and she could see the freckles that speckled his nose, softening his appearance. He took his place in between the other two and the anxiety hit her hard. These were the three young ninjas who she was now solely responsible for. Their achievements and failures were her own. Their lives and their deaths were now completely on her shoulders. She tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in her throat and found it hard to concentrate on the rest of the genin assignments.

Everyone was dismissed shortly after, other than three surly children that belonged to an extremely overdue Naruto. Sakura ensured them he would be along soon and wished for karmic justice that they would prank him for his tardiness.

Once outside, her team found a quiet clearing to talk and she stood quietly to look them over. Shou's fingers were laced and resting on top of his head as he complained about the heat to the large Tarou, who only nodded every other sentence. Manami lounged back against a wall and cleaned under her nails with a small, specially made kunai, deliberately ignoring the group. With nothing else to do other than move forward, the pink-haired sensei steeled her nerves.

"Okay, you three. I need you to each take one of these." Winking, Sakura held up thin strips of chakra paper. The boys looked at them curiously, but Manami scoffed, earning a raised pink eyebrow for the disrespect.

The girl averted her eyes and murmured. "I'm water."

"Oh!" Sakura praised, forgetting her annoyance with the dejected looking konoichi. "That is impressive that you already know, Manami-chan."

She shrugged in response, but before Sakura could ask how she knew Shou was practically bounding towards her. "Hey hey, wait, those tell you what kind of chakra you have!?"

The medic jounin took an uneasy step back and held up her other hand to keep the blonde boy from accosting her. "Hai, but more specifically your chakra affinity. You need to be able to channel your chakra correctly to activate the- HEY!"

Shou had reached around and yanked the papers from her grip before rushing back to Tarou. He looked at the slip handed to him in confusion, but the other's gold eyes were wide and anxious. "Hey hey, Manami-chan," the energetic nin urged. "How do you work these?"

Her icicle eyes darkened. "How should I know?"

Shou gritted his teeth. "You just said that you-"

"That doesn't mean I will tell you."

"Stop being such a brat, Tsunami."

The kunai in her grip rammed into the hard, dirt ground and she growled. "My name is MA-nami, Baka."

"TSSSSSSUUUUUUUU-nnaaaaaaaa-MI!"

Sakura felt a vein in her forehead throb.

"Both of you," Tarou finally spoke, and his voice was deep and mischievous. "Shut up."

The fire and ice duo had immediately listened to their teammate and both crossed their arms while turning away from the other. Sakura was sure she heard some explicit words mumbled from the girl, as well.

She fought the desire to rub at her temples and settled for resting her hands on her hips. "Well, if you are done, I will explain." After replacing the slip of paper Shou had crushed in his tight fist, she held up one of her own. "It takes practice, but you have to mold and channel just a small amount of chakra into the paper, and once you do," she did, and the paper altered. "It will react."

Tarou stared at his like he was interrogating an enemy nin while Shou used both hands to grip tightly onto the special sheet. Manami had taken one offered to her and, after a moment of heavy concentration, the slip eventually dampened.

"Have you never used these before, Manami-chan?" Sakura asked.

The girl attempted to neutralize her expression as she shook her head. "My whole family had water-based chakra, so I just already knew."

Slightly confused, her pink hair bobbed as she nodded. Usually, a history of hereditary affinity was a trait of powerful clans, but things like this weren't entirely unheard of. Perhaps, she would have to read through the files after all. She smiled at the down-casted tomboy before they were interrupted by a loud shout.

"AH-HA!" Shou beamed victoriously. "Hey hey, look! I got two now!" Sure enough, the chakra paper was split right down the middle, signifying wind-based chakra. Sakura tried not to groan.

Shou repeated the process several times with the paper while Sakura assisted Tarou with his own. He had a sufficient enough chakra, but she could tell he had a problem molding it for use. A few minutes passed, while Manami and Shou bickered in the background, before Tarou's finally crumbled into dust. He was earth-based. She patted him on the back reassuring and directed them all to take a seat.

"Alright," Sakura leaned against a tree for the shade, escaping the heat. "As a team we should get to know each other, not just our abilities. So, let's go around and tell each other our likes, our dislikes, and our dreams for the future." She gave them all a big smile, which was only returned by the loudest of the three.

"Hey hey, Sakura-sensei. My favorite thing is being a ninja!"

"Brown-noser," Manami grumbled under her breath.

Shou growled. "And my least favorite thing is loud-mouth girls!" They shot each other a look and Tarou sighed despondently, foreshadowing Sakura's mood. "One day," he announced proudly, "I will hold the record for the most completed missions!"

The dark-skinned ninja shook his head with a low chuckle. "No one tracks that, Shou-san."

The blonde winked. "That's what they want you to think! Sakura-sensei, how many missions have you done?"

Sakura balked. If she were to tell him her estimated number, it would probably crush his dream. Instead, she smiled nervously and shook her hand. "Nay, Shou-chan, just concentrate on getting home safe."

Manami smirked. "Yeah, baka, because your tally will be in the negative numbers, anyway."

Shou jumped up to get at the girl, but Tarou had already grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down to the ground. The boy seethed, but acquiesced, and the peacekeeper of the group answered Sakura's standing question. "I like a lot of things alright, more than I dislike," he was vague, but his voice was smooth, low, and commanding. The medic-nin could only just pick up a devious note to it as well. "And any ninja should know it is not wise to dream about the future."

Sakura sulked. Tarou was a cold kid and the human equivalent to a sledgehammer. She was used to finessing the snobbish and the flighty, but not the brutish. Her green eyes turned towards Manami, hoping to get a brighter answer, but with the short time she knew the girl it did not seem likely.

Her first impression theory was not going as well as she had hoped.

The pale konoichi nodded and answered with her off-kilter smile that exposed an elongated, and sharpened, canine. "My favorite thing is being a loud mouth girl, so I really don't like cocky boys." Tarou leveled Shou with a pointed glare to keep him from reacting. "And," the girl continued, "I will be the first in our class to make jounin rank."

"HA!" Shou brushed off the large boy. "No way! I'll get there years before you!"

Manami jumped up as well to face him head-on. "Just try it, baka!"

Sakura's headache pulse.

"Try me right now, Tsunami!"

"Manami!"

"BOTH OF YOU," Tarou bellowed, and even the teacher stilled. "Shut the hell up!"

Yet again, they huffed and faced away from each other. Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and sarcastically thought, "Best nins in the village, huh Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh, Sakura-sensei," Manami beckoned, drawing Sakura out of her thoughts. "What about you?"

She paused and considered how to answer. Only now, being in his position, did she understand Kakashi's reticence back when they had asked him the same question. An adult's interests were not like a child's. Grown ninja held onto deep scars and twisted their dreams in the desire to ensure those wounds would never open up again. She had known, survived, and delivered death. She had destroyed the dreams of others for the sake of her own. Only Naruto could still fantasize with a child's mind, because he had a knack for making his dreams come true. So, she decided on simple answers with a cheerful voice instead. The way her eyes crinkled into a smile, reminiscent of her old sensei when he was sparring them a cruel fact of life, didn't feel as deceptive as it was. "Well, my name is Haruno Sakura. I trained under the Hokage and Kakashi-senpai. I really enjoy being with my friends and hate when they are away. It is my hope to run the hospital when Tsunade-shishou retires."

Shou lifted his head. "What about your husband?" he asked strangely.

Her mind halted. "Um, I'm not married."

"Ah," Manami teased. "What about your boyfriend?"

"What-" Sakura had the distinct impression she was suddenly being flanked. "No, no boyfriend."

Tarou raised an eyebrow and smirked with his semi-toothless grin. "Girlfriend?"

Her control snapped. "You guys…" The flush that overcame her face was only heightened by the dangerous glint in her eyes as she stared down the three thankfully silent ninjas. The other two used the bigger Tarou as a human shield as they looked up at her sudden and powerful anger. They were clearly shocked by their first encounter with a jounin, however were too inexperienced to realize the impassioned fire in her glare had nothing to do with a highly developed chakra.

She was going to be nice about the bell test, but now these miniature ninja were just asking for the same sort of hell she had to endure.

"Survival training tomorrow morning," she bit between gritted teeth. "Before sunrise. Training Field 3. Don't eat breakfast."

Sakura stormed off, leaving her bewildered, and frightened, team to ponder what 'survival training' had meant.

When they finally caught their breaths and thought themselves safe, Shou's lip curled and he joked, "I can see why she's not married now," earning an appreciative chuckle from Tarou.

"Keh," Manami smiled, holstering her kunai, "I like her."

.

A pair of chopsticks dropped to the worn wooden counter in chaotic clinks as Naruto sputtered. "You did not!"

Sasuke shrugged and looked away, avoiding the sight of chewed food in the blond man's gaping mouth. "It was no different than what Kakashi did to us. One day, they might be asked to decide between the lives of one teammate over the other."

Sakura tsked and interjected. "That was different, Sasuke. Holding a kunai to your throat is completely different than summoning poisonous snakes to crush a genin!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke set his utensils down. "The lesson was the same and it was important." He paused to fold his hands together and rest his mouth against them in a pensive manner, as he had done so often when he was a kid. "There is no choice; it is your comrades at all cost." His abstract was quiet and held the guilt the Uchiha carried for forgetting that lesson years ago.

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but Naruto began to laugh. "The poor bastard probably pissed himself!"

It was crude, but she began to smile along with him until she noticed the disgusted look on their brooding teammate's face. "Oh no, he didn't really, did he?"

He shot at Sakura that said all she needed to know and Naruto laughed harder until a sharp elbow made its way into his ribs. Clutching his side and catching his breath, he still managed to ask, "So, how did Hinata-chan's sister do?"

Sasuke looked off into space for a thoughtful moment before simply replying, "She chose wrong."

After they calmed they had all sat silent for a moment. Hinata herself had proven to be a loyal and strong comrade. Her steadfastness towards her friends was almost on par with Naruto's own. There were rumors of Hanabi's special treatment within the clan and most of the village was anxious to see what she was capable of, especially since her older sister was passed up in favor of the younger daughter to lead the clan. The Hyuuga's history was traditional and dark, and the young girl was raised to idolize those values. Whoever had decided to put her on Sasuke's team was either mad or a complete genius. He was someone who knew the burdens of a clan name. He knew what pressures the village put upon your shoulders because of the power of your eyes. Hyuugas and Uchihas alike were raised to believe blood was thicker than Konoha water. If anyone was to teach the girl different, it would be one who broke from tradition to become his own ninja, albeit by the most difficult route imaginable.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Naruto began the tale of his own team. "Well, at least your genin didn't leave the academy without you."

"That's because you were an hour late, dobe."

"Nay, still. We at least stayed until Kakashi-sensei showed up."

Sakura snorted. "Maybe if we didn't, he would have been on time from then on."

Naruto mouth fell open. "He was mad enough because of the chalk eraser. I can't imagine what he would have done if we were not there."

"So," Sasuke questioned with mild interest, "what did you do?"

"I chased all three of them down, is what! I had my Shadow Clones looking everywhere." The blonde gulped down another large bite. "I made them hunt my clones around for hours after that."

Sakura laughed. "Well, as loud as you are, that shouldn't have been that much of a challenge."

The blonde scoffed and leaned back in his chair to rest his intertwined fingers on his head. "Yeah, you would think."

She blinked disbelieving and the sounds from the market played behind them. "What, seriously?"

He closed his blue eyes and sounded almost wistful. "They know the basics alright. They're just… not ninja, you know?"

"Neither were you," Sasuke reasoned and Naruto nodded.

Sakura, however, tilted her head and ran her fingers through her short, pink hair. "Are you going to pass them?"

Both male teammates looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.

"Well," she was suddenly unsure of herself, "if you don't think they have what it takes, you aren't going to pass them, are you?"

The two men looked at each other a moment. "Iruka wouldn't give us genin to fail, Sakura-chan," Naruto explained in a lecturing tone that irritated the konoichi. "Failing teams is just something Kakashi-sensei did to get out of teaching."

She slumped back in her chair and glowered at her boys. The night before with Kakashi had meant as much to her as being praised by Tsunade. She believed what Kakashi had said about the bells and what they represented. The Will of Fire was in each Konoha ninja, and that first test had been the first real lesson in becoming the ninja she was today. It wasn't him foregoing his duty that caused him to fail every student until her team. He was fulfilling that responsibility to the fullest. Of course, you had to actually know Kakashi to ever claim he wasn't just being lazy.

"If that is true," she argued, "then why did he pass us?"

"It was the last Uchiha and the Kyuubi vessel," Sasuke rationalized a bit arrogantly. "I doubt he had a choice."

Naruto instinctually cowered when Sakura pursed her lips. "Well, then I'm glad I was just along for the ride…"

Sasuke huffed, but the apathetic teammate attempted atonement. "No no, Sakura-chan, you are an amazing ninja! I bet your genin are awed by you!" Her pointed glare told him she wasn't amused, or satisfied. He chuckled nervously, then rubbed the back of his neck and tried to shift their conversation. "What did you make them do, anyway?"

Her crossed arms relaxed. "Well, I haven't yet. I'm meeting them tomorrow morning."

"Ha," Naruto jumped on the lighter subject. "Did you tell them to skip breakfast too?"

She smiled wickedly and Sasuke's attention perked. It was no secret that Sakura had a short temper or that her chakra control was on par with the Hokage. However, very few kept it in mind at all times just how clever she was. If her grin was devilish, there was sure to be hell. "What are you going to do?" he asked as his own iniquitous interest glossed his eyes.

The moment stretched purposefully and she raised her chin with a slightly smug tilt. Her prideful shoulders squared and she reached into her vest pocket. Naruto picked up his bowl to slurp down the last of his ramen, lest he be accused of staring at her chest, right when the delicate chiming of the bells filled the silence between them.

Sasuke's eyes widened and Naruto began choking on his food again.

"Are those?" The Uchiha asked, almost indelicately.

"Yep!" Her grin broadened.

Naruto wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "How did you get them?"

She felt a familiar headache form at her temple. "How do you think?"

The men took a long moment, and a couple glances at each other, to come up with an answer while Sakura became less and less amused. Finally, Sasuke looked directly in her eyes and accused, "You poisoned him?"

"What?" she could not tell if they were being serious. "No, of course not."

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura expected his acknowledgement. "You drugged him?"

She growled. "No!"

Sasuke's lip rose deviously along with his brow, ignoring the threat in front of him. "Seduced him?"

"UGH! What is wrong with you two!?" She was beginning to wonder what was wrong with everyone today. "He gave them to me."

They both stared at her in silence and she began to doubt. Suddenly, as her form slackened, she thought they would tease her. Or debase her. Or discount Kakashi's judgment. Maybe, they would even feel sorry for her as if the bells were some sort of equalizer.

Instead, after an awkward moment, Naruto looked awed. "Wow."

"Really?" Her face lit up.

Sasuke calmly reached for his drink. "It makes sense."

Her breath caught as the apprehension disappeared. Romantic notions between the two have been dead since his return to the village, but his opinion was still coveted, and his praise held weight. "Thanks you guys." She felt a rare sting in her eyes and forced herself not to cry. "That… that means a lot."

Sasuke shrugged it off, but Naruto beamed.

"So," his teasing tone was back. "Going to show up late?"

"Oh yeah," she sarcastically countered back through her laugh. "And then I'm going to read porn in public and try to kill one of them."

The raven-haired man's expression darkened. "I still believe that is an effective training method."

"Yeah," Naruto snorted. "Until your snake gets used for toilet paper."

Sakura tried to contain her giggles at the murderous glare the blonde had earned. "If my summon doesn't appear next time I call because of that, I might have to actually kill that kid."

Noticing the conversation had gone full circle, Sakura stood to leave. "Well, I have some paperwork to do and then I'm crashing early for the Bell Test tomorrow." She pocketed the bells, and the boys instinctually followed the gentle jingling until they disappeared in her pouch. It was a big deal to all of them, and the noise was nostalgic. Kakashi had jingled like that often, whenever he did not bother to silence them. They would walk down dirt roads and jump through trees to the beat of his melodious chimes. It had always made her feel safe. Tomorrow, if her rambunctious team could pass, perhaps they would hold the same fond memories of her. "You guys are more than welcome to watch tomorrow morning."

"I'm not getting up that early," the whiskered ninja argued.

"My team has a mission tomorrow," was Sasuke's alibi.

She sighed and looked at her team with a pout. "We better still see each other."

"No worries Sakura-chan." Naruto stood to pat her shoulder reassuringly. "If this idiot's great-great-great-great grandfather's world war couldn't break us up, a couple of baby nins won't."

Sasuke made a show of gripping his katana for retaliation and Sakura shook her head, already walking away.

…

A/N: Serious lack of Kakashi. :[ I'll make up for it.

Thanks for reading/reviewing :]