Sakura and Asagao were now five and still living separately from one another without even knowing about each others own existence, today though was a very special occasion for both Haruno Twins.
It was the day known as Academy Entrance Exams "Do we hafta do this" Suigetsu whined for the millionth time that morning trailing after his only friend, to say he was the most literate of children was a complete and utter lie, he absolutely hated sitting still for any long periods of time.
Unlike his friend who turned and huffed at him "Course Suigetsu-kun, don't ya wanna be a ninja someday" Sakura put her hands on her hips pausing in the middle of the crowded street to the adult's amusement.
Suigetsu's purple eyes widened "Now, now there's no time to have a debate you two, if you don't hurry you'll be late and have to wait until next year" Mangetsu chuckled ushering the young duo towards the reformed academy.
Both five year old's seemed to panic almost as they quickened their pace to a near run, clearly not even Suigetsu wanted to be late "Goodness what's the rush" Mei caught sight of them as they flew by and joined them.
"Don't wanna be late for the entrance exam thingy" the pale blue haired five year old panted already out of breath as they dashed down the streets, despite his complaints, he did after all want to be a ninja alongside his friend.
No matter what it took, even if he hated sitting still, Mei looked severely amused "Goodness you better hurry then" the auburn haired woman said, taking note of the time and realizing that they were almost late.
With that she scooped her niece into her arms and Sakura let out a squeal at the sudden movement "How late is it anyway Auntie Mei" the five year old pinkette questioned leaning her head back to stare at the sky and trying to figure out the time from the position of the sun.
Mangetsu eyed the sky himself and cursed inwardly "Late, later than I thought actually" the white haired adult grabbed up his own little brother and together they body flickered the rest of the way to the academy so the two little ones wouldn't be late
They arrived just on time and were sent in to begin their academy entrance exams "Not cool" Suigetsu groaned as he realized that it was a written test, easy sure because this was stuff they'd been taught over the last couple of years, since they could understand.
"Just relax Suigetsu-kun we'll do great I know we will" Sakura giggled quietly, marking the correct answers down with ease, considering she had an almost photographic memory, her Auntie Mei had said so after all.
Suigetsu sulked but they completed the written test without another word and now it was time for the physical portion "For the physical you must hit a target, run four laps, execute the proper way to swing a sword and the correct stance for taijutsu" the academy sensei told them.
Handing out senbon needles to each five year old, some of them looked wary of the sharp weapons, while others smiled thinking it was going to be easy "Ne Sakura-chan didn't Mangetsu-ni say senbon needles were easily breakable" the pale blue haired five year old asked.
Looking quite adorable in his confusion as he tried to remember the lesson his older brother had imparted on them about the weapon "Yup, the trick is to be gentle and not exert to much force and they won't break" the five year old pinkette nodded.
Before facing the target that was five feet away from her and gently gripping her senbon needle, shifted into the proper throwing stance and with hopefully the right amount of power, not to much or to little let the needle fly through the air.
To speed straight for the target and sink two inches deep into the wood, an almost perfect bullseye, Suigetsu was next, but while he managed to hit the target on his first try, he didn't get anywhere near the center like his friend, he hit one of the outer rings.
Done with that and leaving behind several of their hopeful classmates they were led towards the track to begin their laps "Insanity why do we have to run so many" Suigetsu grumbled, though he wasn't to put out because he got to run around.
"Probably to prove that we have the stamina it takes to become academy students and then genin when it's time to graduate" Sakura piped in smartly, not bothered in the least about having to run laps, and soon they were both done with that as well.
And were handed a sword each "Right execute the proper way to swing a sword" the little pale blue haired boy gulped uneasily, dredging up the lesson his brother had given them a few weeks before and slowly went through the movements, taking his turn first.
Next was Sakura, who didn't seem to be as nervous as him "There all done with that and finally for the correct stance for proper taijutsu" the pinkette settled into a stance, left foot and right hand shifted back while her right foot was forward and bracing herself against the ground.
In response the proctor nodded and then it was her friends turn who passed as well, finished they got to sit down until everyone else was done "Phew glad that's over, do you think we passed the written" Suigetsu breathed out a sigh of relief exhausted even though they hadn't had to do much.
Emerald orbs blinked at him "I'm sure we did Suigetsu-kun, just have to have faith" Sakura smiled taking his hand in hers and twining their fingers to wait for the rest of their hopeful classmates to finish with their own physical portion of the test.
Not more than thirty minutes later, the whole exam taking a maximum of an hour and a half they were all grouped back into the classroom again to receive their written tests and find out if they'd passed in order to be accepted into the academy.
When they got theirs back Suigetsu thrust his into her hands and squeezed his eyes shut "What does it say I'm to scared to look" the pale blue haired five year old asked frightened because he didn't want to have to wait another year.
Sakura smiled lightly and glanced down at her friends test "It's official we're academy students Suigetsu-kun" the little five year old pinkette cheered hugging her friend after peeking at her own indicating both of them had passed.
And then they were ushered from the building, where classes wouldn't begin for another week "How did you two do" Mangetsu asked when the duo appeared and hurried towards him and Mei, both looking excited.
It wasn't that hard to guess that they'd both passed "Did you manage to pass both tests" Mei inquired lightly scooping her niece into her arms, at the questions Sakura and Suigetsu nodded their heads eagerly.
"Course we did Ni-san, there was absolutely no way I was gonna be left behind by Sakura after all" the pale blue haired five year old snorted obnoxiously and Mangetsu rolled his eyes before scuffing his little brother gently over the back of the head.
Making the five year old scowl in response "As if I'd leave you behind Suigetsu-kun, your my only friend after all" the fuscia haired five year old huffed and crossed her arms, there's no way she could have ever left him behind, she'd be to lonely in class.
Plus she wanted to graduate with him "Just makes me wonder what you would have done if Suigetsu hadn't passed" Mangetsu asked carefully, already hazarding a guess as to what her response would be in lieu of his question.
Viridian orbs focused on him "I must say I'm curious as well Sakura" Mei admitted, though considering how close the duo were, her niece's response wasn't exactly to surprising especially when she burst out.
"There's no way I could be in the academy without Suigetsu-kun so I would have waited another year before entering with him" the five year old pinkette blurted as the answer was on the tip of her tongue and then she blushed beet red in response.
Which caused the adults to chuckle/laugh or in Suigetsu's case to flush a brilliant red like his friend "Really" the pale blue haired five year old asked and the girl nodded quietly unable to meet his gaze of amethyst.
"Okay, okay you two enough with the flirting, I'm sure your hungry and ready to play at the park now" the white haired twenty six year old teased and the duo turned matching scowls on him, but they eagerly followed him to a restaurant to eat lunch.
Mei watched them go with a fond smile "If you could see her now Mebuki, you'd be proud of your daughter, especially with how smart and kind she is" the auburn haired woman murmured quietly to herself before turning on her heel and throwing herself back into work.
Determined to complete her goal to ensure the protection of her niece and any other child in the Hidden Mist Village, by becoming the Mizukage she'd be able to make the village safe and secure and blossom under her ruling.
~That same morning~
All the way in the Hidden Leaf Village "Come on Sasuke" Asagao urged his friend as they walked leisurely to the academy with plenty of time to spare, unlike his sister who'd nearly been late to her own academy entrance exams.
His friend scoffed "Don't know why your in such a hurry Asagao, we'll be early and have to wait for everyone else" Sasuke sulked not liking that his relaxation time had been cut short by his pale pink haired friend.
Blue orbs rolled upwards lightly "Even if that's the case, at least we'll be there and not have to rush clear across the village" the pale pink haired five year old explained to the adult's amusement, considering how they weren't alone.
Not with his brother and cousin following them "Guess I can kind of see it from your point of view" the raven haired five year old admitted sheepishly, he could still relax, but now they wouldn't be late since they didn't have to rush.
Trailing behind them the older duo shared smiles of amusement "Just a couple of oddballs aren't they Itachi-chan" Shisui chuckled under his breath, keeping an eye out for any trouble, because that's the last thing they wanted to happen.
Was for something to go wrong "Indeed, however there is validity in what Asagao-san says, it will give them time to relax and ease their minds of any worries they might have" Itachi countered glancing around carefully.
"Perhaps, just got to wonder how Asagao-chan is so straight-laced and serious about things" the older Uchiha frowned in confusion, though since he hadn't spent much time around the pink haired boy's parents, he wouldn't know.
Itachi did though "His mother Mebuki-san, though he does have some traits of his father, Kizashi-san" the Uchiha heir admitted for his friend who gave him a look of shock before falling silent as they made it to the academy.
Like suspected they had to wait, however both Asagao and Sasuke made use of that time to meditate and clear their minds before they were finally allowed into the academy "Wish us luck Ni-san, Shisui-san" Sasuke gulped still worried.
But feeling moderately calmer than he had earlier "Good luck Otouto, Asagao-san" Itachi nodded patting both five year old's on the head before ushering them towards the academy doors so they could head in and begin their entrance exams.
"Have faith you two and try not to worry so much" Shisui waved before the two boys were no longer in sight, with that they settled against the fence to wait until the exam was over to escort the two boys home.
Inside the academy "Just have faith, just have faith" Asagao chanted quietly as they all sat and the written portion of the test was passed around, then once everyone had gotten a test they were told to begin and so began the longest hour they'd ever experienced in their lives.
Then it was all over and they were being ushered outside to commence with the physical portion of their entrance exams "Ugh feel like my brains gonna explode" the ebony haired five year old clutched his head.
"Me to Sasuke but at least the hard part is over, all that's left is whatever the physical portion tests us on" the pale pink haired five year old explained smartly, he had a good memory after all, but that test had really tested him.
Further conversation between the two of them was prevented as the proctor began speaking "For the physical portion, you lot are required to run at the minimum three laps, execute a proper throw with shuriken and understand the basics of taijutsu" was listed off.
Asagao immediately regretted saying that the hard part was over "Don't worry I'm sure we got this in the bag Sasuke" Asagao tried to sound reassuring, though inwardly he was worried, because he wasn't sure he would be able to correctly throw a shuriken.
Considering he hadn't received any sort of training or early lesson from his parents for it "Relax, when it comes to that part, I'll help you" Sasuke was less concerned over the physical portion than his friend was because he knew what needed to be done.
With that they started on their three easy laps, bypassing the other children at the academy entrance exams until they finished first, "How do you throw a shuriken exactly" the little pink haired boy asked awkwardly.
Hoping that he wouldn't be made fun of "Easy Asagao, take your shuriken and settle into a stance, this one is for throwing, then with just a little bit of power, more control, send your shuriken sailing with just a flick of your wrist" the ebony haired five year old explained.
Giving an explanation worthy of his brother, or at least he hoped so anyway, glad for the mini lesson Asagao took his shuriken in hand and immediately applied the lesson he'd been given, by carefully throwing his shuriken.
Not to much power and it went flying forward to sink an inch deep into the wood a few rings away from the center "Yeah I did it" Asagao punched the air excitedly, pleased that he'd managed to hit the target on his first try.
"My turn" Sasuke grinned feeling confident as he loosed his shuriken at the target and got a perfect bullseye, thanks to all the training with his brother, when he wasn't busy anyway, now it was time for the final part of their test.
Basics of taijutsu, which they easily passed as well, they had to wait for awhile until the rest of their classmates were done before they were all grouped back into the classroom to receive their test scores on the written portion.
"Knew it and now we're official academy students" the little pink haired five year old boy exclaimed eyeing his test score, he'd nearly gotten a full 100 on it, only missing a few questions, but he was still happy.
Sasuke was also pleased that he'd made it into the academy "Let's go Asagao I'm sure Ni-san and Shisui-san are waiting for us to find out if we passed the entrance exams" the raven haired five year old stood from the seat.
Leading the way to his brother and cousin "Well how did it go you two" Shisui asked looking the two boys over, neither one of them seemed depressed, in fact they looked downright euphoric about something, indicating they'd gotten good news.
"We passed Itachi-san, Shisui-san, so now Sasuke and I are official academy student and classes start a week from now" Asagao announced, eager to get home and tell his parents, who were sure to be proud of him.
Shisui chuckled "That's good and soon seven years from now you'll be taking the graduation exams, for now study hard and always listen to what your sensei tells you" Itachi patted the boys on the head again.
"Of course Itachi-ni, like that's even an option, every day after academy we're gonna go to the library and study like crazy" Sasuke snorted as they started down the path that would lead them to the civilian section of the village.
Until they were before his friend's house "Back so soon, you didn't fail did you Asagao-kun" Kizashi teased his son as soon as he entered, while the trio of Uchiha's started their way back to their Compound to share the news with their family.
"Hush now Kizashi-kun, I'm sure Asagao-kun did just fine and passed his entrance exams" Mebuki scowled and nudged her husband out of the way to greet her child with a hug, his eyes lit up and he didn't waste another moment.
In chattering away "Passed, me and Sasuke both Mom, Dad" the pale pink haired boy announced pleased as punch that he'd gotten into the academy, despite not being from a clan like most of the others, he would work hard to prove himself he could make it as a ninja.
Even if he had ridiculous pink hair "That's good you and Sasuke passed, Asagao-kun" the older pink haired male was proud of his second born child, though he wished he could find out how his first born child was doing and if she was also an academy student.
"Yes, now go and wash up, we'll have your favorite for lunch" the emerald eyed blonde nudged her son to the bathroom so he could wash his hands and face of any dirt before heading into the kitchen to set up lunch.
~Meanwhile~
"Guess what I'm an academy student" the little raven haired boy couldn't wait to share his news with his parents, so the minute they got inside his house, he shucked his shoes and dashed to the kitchen where his parents were waiting.
Both were proud, though one hid that pride behind a somewhat emotionless mask "That means you have to work harder than before, and if I ever catch you with a D on your report card…" Mikoto trailed off in a warning tone.
Her second son gulped and edged backwards "U…Understood Mother" Sasuke nodded, he didn't want to know what his mom would do if he ever brought home a report card that had a D on it, and dropped the topic.
"Study hard and you'll become an exceptional shinobi" Fugaku spoke up and Sasuke looked happy that he'd paid him a little bit of attention, with that they settled down to have lunch and later on dinner before it was time for bed, where he snuggled beneath his covers to sleep the night away, dreaming of what the future would bring.