AN: Right. Classes just started again, pretty exciting. Except not.

If I Knew Then

Chapter Two

"All right," Kakashi started with a lazy sigh. "Tell me a little about yourselves."

Sakura had deemed it unnecessary to stop Naruto from pulling the eraser-in-the-door trick, and as such Naruto and Sasuke's lack of respect for him remained at its usual standard. She had to giggle a little as the moment arrived; there was no doubt that he would fall for it. So atypical of a supposedly elite jounin. Although looking back on it, perhaps he wanted them to think he was incompetent so he would look that much more badass when it came to a real fight. If there was one thing Kakashi knew, it was how to be impressive in improbable circumstances.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde piped up, raising a hand to his newly gained forehead protector in pride. "I like ramen!" A cheeky smile spread across his face like a squirrel that had just found someone else's stash of acorns. "I hate the time it takes for the ramen to cook, and my dream is to become the next Hokage and make everyone acknowledge me!"

"Hai, hai," Kakashi sighed again. He'd heard enough ambitious dreams of greatness in his lifetime. Kids were so tiring. "And you?"

Sakura looked up with a start, keenly aware of the color now unfurling across her cheeks. She had no idea what she had said last time.

"Erm," she said awkwardly. "I need more time to think. Sasuke can go first."

"Whatever." Kakashi turned an apathetic eye toward Sasuke. This boy had the air of a serious individual ready to begin his career, and he gave the impression that whatever goals he set he would see through to the end. Kakashi knew he was the last Uchiha; everyone knew of the disaster that had struck the boy at such a young age. He hoped that Sasuke might at least turn out to be less disappointing than the other two. Without a glance back at Kakashi, the dark boy spoke.

"Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and not a lot of things that I like," he drawled. He gazed dramatically off into space, the way only a slightly mad avenger could. "And my goal…is to kill a certain man."

Completely unable to stop herself, Sakura snorted.

She hadn't realized in her knee-deep crush how utterly drama-inclined her teammate could be. Sasuke turned incredulous eyes to her. She was laughing? Laughing at his dream? Who did this girl think she was? He searched her face, as though the answer would be obvious if he looked hard enough. Abruptly resuming a straight face, she chided herself. It really wasn't funny. Even more sobering was the reminder of the things he had done to achieve this goal.

"And you." Kakashi's voice cut through their thoughts.

"Oh. Right." Sakura's long-dead habit of fidgeting resurfaced, and she mentally slapped herself. No more mistakes. That would be her dream: to live this life without any of the results of the last.

"Okay. My name is Haruno Sakura." What had she said last time? …Whatever. She would have to improvise. "I like all sorts of things, really." Damn it. "And there aren't too many things I hate."

"C'mon, Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto whined. "Tell us something you like and don't like. You're not Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura stifled a laugh and bit her lip. "All right…well, I'd have to say…" Sakura, think.

Suddenly it popped into her mind. Of course. Just be honest.

"I love going out to eat, even if it's just ramen." Naruto let out a whoop of joy, and suddenly frowned, as though trying very hard to commit this new development to memory.

"I dislike…death." At Kakashi's curious glance, she laughed a little. "Ironic, I guess, considering I'm about to go into a business killing people." Her happy façade drained away as her last answer surfaced. "And my dream…well, I…"

Since when had she become so wishy-washy? Sakura cleared her throat, and steadied herself. It had been a long time since she had felt so vulnerable. And no one else was even aware of this fact. She knew that if anyone were to pay attention to her goal in the slightest, she would have to outdo Sasuke's flair for drama.

"I've seen the consequences of a job poorly done," she said, setting the mood. "I know how it feels when teammates die." Best not to elaborate on how she knew that. "My ultimate goal is to make sure none of my close friends die. Ever."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his only visible eye crinkled in awkward humor. He must have thought her dream was impossible. "That's a tall goal…"

"Don't worry," Sakura said firmly, determination swelling in her chest. "I'm willing to devote every waking moment I have toward making that happen."

Sasuke surreptitiously peeked at her from the corner of his eye, but said nothing.

The following morning passed in silence as the teammates reached the training grounds, the morning air much too chilly and humid to allow for much conversation. They were instructed not to eat—but of course, Sakura knew better. She knew what the "survival training" entailed. Not that she would tell the other two. This time would be used to test her skill against Kakashi, to see just how much she could accomplish with all of her old chakra still swirling inside of her.

"Yo."

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto shouted furiously at the new arrival. "We've been waiting for hours!"

"Sorry…" Kakashi chuckled. "I got—"

"Lost on the road of life, was it?" Sakura finished tiredly as she crossed her arms. Kakashi shot her a slightly surprised look. It quickly dimmed as he realized he had said this to probably half the village at some point.

"You have until twelve," he said, breezily ignoring her comment and producing an alarm clock out of nowhere. He set the clock on a nearby stump and pressed the alarm. "Your task is to get these from me." Two bells jingled happily from his fingers.

"But…" Sakura had to ask. It was only fair. "One of us won't get a bell, no matter how hard we try. There's only two."

"That's right. And the one who doesn't…" he shot them a deadpan look. "Gets no lunch."

Naruto leapt forward, glaring with an intensity that could match Sasuke on his worst day. "That's why you told us not to eat anything!"

"That's right," Kakashi replied cheerfully. "Not very bright, are you?"

"Sh-shut up!" Naruto suddenly launched himself at his instructor with every intent to take him down, several bunshins instantly at his side. Sakura blinked, and at once Naruto found himself and his newly-made clones flung into the river.

"Are you quite done?" asked Kakashi. Naruto muttered profanities as he crawled out of the freezing water, but said not another word to him.

"Now. Go." At once, Sakura and Sasuke disappeared.

Now, all I have to do is stay hidden until Kakashi's dealt with Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura thought. Then I can confront him directly once the others are out of the way. But if I have to sit in this bush any longer, I'm going to go crazy.

The leaves of the bush were really scratchy. The afternoon was dragging on at a demented slug's pace, and any more waiting would be fruitless. She was getting one of those bells if it killed her.

Screw this.

Working her stiff muscles, she sprang out of her hiding place and into the clearing. Everything else could wait. Who cared whether Sasuke got to Kakashi after she did? All that mattered was that she face Kakashi alone.

"Sa…kura…" A weak, pained voice called to her from a nearby tree. Sakura turned, and spotted Sasuke's mangled body collapsed against a tree, blood pouring from several deep wounds. According to her mental assessment of him (gained from spending long hours in the medical office), he would die within a few minutes of blood loss. "Help me…"

Sakura nonchalantly took a kunai from her pouch, and in one swift movement flicked it at Sasuke's head. The bunshin disappeared in a puff of smoke, and she smirked. As if Kakashi could pull off that one on me. But seriously. Was he trying to scar me for life? A bit overboard, don't you think?

Impressive, Kakashi thought from his spot in the trees. She saw right through the bunshin.

He couldn't have given me a more challenging threat? Sakura asked herself angrily as she stormed off. It wasn't like that clone could have actually hurt her. What was it meant to accomplish?

Several minutes later, she stopped as she neared the next area. An earth-rattling yell sounded through the air, and the trees produced terrified birds as they flew off.

Sasuke.

Sakura broke into a run as she searched for him. What exactly had Kakashi done to him? How was he faring by himself? Was he making any progress?

She practically skidded to a stop as she caught sight of him. Tears of mirth gathered at the rims of her eyes as she surveyed him. Well…this was different.

Lord knows she hadn't expected to find only his head, the rest of him completely submerged underground.

"Saa…" she started, suddenly breathless. "Sasuke…you…!" Without warning, she dissolved into laughter. Sasuke scowled at her, his pride clearly taking a blow or two.

"You can help me get out of here, you know," he told her, clearly disgusted with both himself and her reaction.

"No I can't!" She was in hysterics, clutching a stitch in her side. Sasuke winced.

"Sakura."

The sound of her name on his lips calmed her somewhat. He was clearly ticked, and so gradually Sakura forced her giggles to subside. "All right," she conceded. "Sorry. I'll help." She kneeled down in front of him, and set the pad of her index finger against the ground.

Sasuke's mind reeled as the ground suddenly broke around him, freeing him from his prison. Dust settled into his clothes as he scrambled out of the fresh hole, his eyes wide.

"What the hell kind of jutsu was that?" he asked her. Her triumphant smile faded. Surely she couldn't explain this away.

"Just…something I picked up," she said, vainly attempting to sound casual and nonchalant.

"Where did you learn that?" he persisted, traces of skepticism evident on his face.

Sakura heaved an impatient sigh. This was cutting into her time to fight Kakashi. "Look, I don't have time for this," she told him. "I'll talk to you later." In an instant, she vanished, leaving Sasuke to wonder just how she had done that, too.

Kakashi-sensei…Sakura pondered as she leapt from tree to tree. Where are you?

"Who are you looking for?" asked a bright voice from beside her.

She couldn't believe it. Kakashi was match her pace, tree for tree, as if he had been there the whole time. Really, had she learned nothing?

"Aaah!" Sakura cried out as she swung a kunai at him. In an instant he was in the air, dodging her attack and looking as unintimidated as though she had just swung a feather.

This is it.

They couldn't fight in the trees. Sakura knew he most likely had far more experience than she did at fighting in varying environments (he was twice her age after all), and she wasn't willing to take any chances. Leaping quickly onto the ground, she waited for Kakashi to follow before she began.

She glared at him, her anticipation growing with each passing second.

"Come at me," she commanded.

Kakashi glanced at her, his hated Icha Icha book out as if they hadn't been about to start a battle. "I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"Argh, come at me!" Sakura screamed, completely frustrated. He was being difficult. She would battle him even if she had to tear his book in two to do it.

"And you think you have a chance of winning if I do?" Kakashi murmured as his attention span dwindled.

Sakura smirked. She raised her hand, and held up her index finger. "This is all I'll need," she told him confidently.

Kakashi sighed and set down his book. Kids really were too confident these days. It was no wonder Iruka constantly complained to him about his class.

"One finger, huh?" he asked her lazily. She thought for a moment. Now, she supposed, was not the time to get too cocky.

"Okay, one fist then," she corrected, her smile widening. "If I succeed with only one fist, I get both lunches."

"Both?" Now Kakashi appeared surprised.

Sakura screamed as he immediately vanished, and appeared locking her wrists behind her back.

"You're in no position to make bets," he said into her ear.

You think so?

Sakura channeled her chakra into her arms, satisfied that it all responded to her just as well in her smaller form. She began to struggle against him, pushing more and more chakra against him. Within seconds she had broken free of his grasp, spun around, and in one swift movement slammed her fist into the ground.

The resulting chaotic explosion shattered the ground with a loud crunch, her surroundings blurry as the ground rattled. Take that. She sped up to him, grasped his ankle, and with a twisting motion, yanked him down until the bells were within reach. She stretched her hand out, ready to grab one…

…when Kakashi's form burst into a puff of white smoke, a log in its' place. Replacement technique! He must have just finished the hand seals. Damn! Sakura cursed.

Kakashi breathed hard from his position in the trees, having narrowly escaped with his well-placed kawarimi, a trickle of sweat running down his face.

What is she?

Suddenly the alarm rang, loud and piercing, signaling the end of the test. Sakura straightened up, defeat washing over her. She didn't make it in time. She failed to get a bell. How could she have lagged for so long? Stupid Sakura, she berated herself. If I had had more time…

Naruto sulked as he stood tied against the center pole, watching enviously as the two lunches were handed to Sasuke and Sakura.

"I shouldn't even be giving you these," Kakashi told them after ten minutes of lecturing on teamwork. "All of you failed to get a bell. I should send you back to the academy."

"No, don't do that!" Naruto shouted at him. "We tried, we really tried!"

"We'll start again after lunch!" Kakashi said, silencing him. "If before that time either of you give Naruto any food, you fail." With a flash, Kakashi was gone.

Sakura stared at the spot where he had just departed in shock. She had made such an elementary mistake. A shinobi never waits until the last moment to attack. Lost moments are lives gone. How could she have failed to act quickly enough?

"Here, Naruto." Sakura silently handed him her lunch. She didn't deserve this.

"Wh…what?" he asked, dumbfounded. "You'll fail, won't you?"

"No," she said suddenly as a memory rushed back to her. "I won't. Sasuke, you give him some too."

"No." Sasuke resumed eating, indiscreetly shooting a scowl at her. "I'm not giving up my chance to progress just because the dobe needs food."

"But that's just it!" Sakura said exasperatedly. "We forgot teamwork. That's what Kakashi was looking for all along! And we completely blew it. Now the only way to redeem ourselves is to share what we've got, or we're finished."

Naruto stared at her, open-mouthed, before deciding that believing her was better than automatically being sent back to the academy. "Right, right!"

Sasuke looked at her, long and hard, for a moment, deciding to trust her. His frown deepened to a glare, but she wouldn't budge. What was with her and his failed intimidation tactics?

"Hn. Fine," he finally said, handing his lunch to the "dobe" while refusing to look at him. Naruto's jaw sagged further at this subtle demonstration of kindness—even if the motivation was a bit lacking. "But…I can't eat it…" He flexed his tied hands, and Sakura suppressed a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," she said as she moved forward. "Open your mouth."

"You're going to f-feed me?" Naruto asked her, amazed. She nodded solemnly, her eyes shut.

She peeked at him. "Only this once, kay?"

He shot her a trademark Naruto grin, and she felt her stomach flutter. She hadn't seen him truly smile like that in so long.

"Sure!"

Sakura returned his smile with a light one of her own, and lifted the chopsticks.

"You guys!" The sky darkened, and clouds gathered as their sensei's booming voice carried over the training grounds. "I specifically told you not to feed him!" He frowned stonily down at them. Without warning, the wind blew sinisterly around him and the dark trees swayed. What had just been a peaceful, sunny day was now a swirling, menacing thunderstorm. Sakura would never understand how he did that. Some genjutsu, she guessed. Well, here was her chance…

"You said we needed to work together!" she cried out. "On a proper mission, if one isn't kept nourished our performance will suffer!" Did she use so many big words in her genin days before? "The three of us are one!"

"Three are one?" Kakashi asked the team suspiciously.

Desperately, Naruto cried, "Yeah! Yeah!" Sasuke simply nodded, but that was enough of an answer for him.

"Well, then…"

They held their breath.

"You pass."

Thank Kami-sama.

That was close, Sakura decided as she walked home. Far too close. They were only a hair away from failing, and by some amazing stroke of luck (again), they had scraped by. One would think she had the answers to everything, having relived all of this once before. All of this insanity made a nice bowl of Ichiraku ramen with her old friends seem not so bad now. That is, if she could get them to go with her. Naruto would be simple. It was Sasuke that she would have to drag kicking and glaring.

"Sakura." She heard the masculine voice before she saw who it belonged to. Turning slightly, she regarded Kakashi in slight confusion. He was sitting on her couch, in her house, as though he belonged there. Where was her mother when she needed her? "Yes, sensei?"

"I wanted to talk with you." His relaxed position unnerved her somewhat, mostly because she could never guess what he was thinking. After all those years of knowing him, he still carried every bit as much mystery as before.

"Sure."

"Who taught you those skills?"

Sakura fell silent, her brain suddenly going into panic mode as she realized her greatest mistake.

She had shown off her skills like they were nothing. She was supposed to be twelve, to barely know enough to hold a kunai. And here she was, going around making craters in the earth for the world to see. What did she think would happen?

Alarm bells screamed in her mind. No one could find out about what had happened, no one! Who knew what would happen if someone did? Would people come to her asking about the future? What kind of calamity would that bring if they knew?

"It was just something I learned to do on my own," she lied. "I heard about ways to enhance your strength with chakra in a book, and since then I've been trying hard to achieve it." Kakashi listened carefully to her lie as though he were buying into her every word, but the downward tilt of his lips told her he wasn't.

"It takes years of practice under an accomplished teacher to master it," he said after a moment. He reclined on the couch and put his arms behind his head. "Very few people have ever learned how. It is not something you simply "pick up."" He stated this flatly, but she didn't miss the accusation in his voice. "Ready to come clean? A forbidden scroll, maybe?"

Sakura gasped. "You think I learned how illegally?" she managed to say.

"How else? I know for certain your family possesses no bloodline limit."

"I have exceptional chakra control. After reading up on the theory, all I had to do was make the connections and try through trial and error."

Kakashi scratched the stubble on his chin. He hadn't shaved that morning. "A likely story…if that technique you showed me didn't require such great chakra reserves. Reserves that shouldn't be possible for you to have right now."

There was no explaining that one, not without a bloodline limit (and her split personality known as Inner Sakura didn't count). As well as Sakura could think on her feet, her vast stores of knowledge provided no answer. In short, she was screwed.

Her teacher could know…he might possibly even be able to help her cover her tracks should anything happen. Perhaps it would benefit her to have an ally on her side. And if she knew Kakashi, he wasn't the type to exploit people. Well, unless it was to swindle them into paying the bill.

"Sensei…" she shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"You just might not believe it…"

"You have mentioned that."

Well, all right. No getting out of it. Here goes…

AN: And so the story spills out. Will Kakashi buy it? I don't think there will be much SasuSaku or NaruSaku just yet, I still have to set the stage a bit. Plus they are twelve, after all. Review, please?