Sakura

My teeth grounded together; my anger started to build inside me.

I swear if Naruto asked what time it was one more time I was going to turn it all on him.

Clenching my fists and folding them across my chest my knuckles started to turn white from the effort.

"Hey…Sasuke, what time is it now?"

"It's about noon."

I turned to the nearest, breakable thing: a tree. Punching at it furiously, I was pleased when the bark scattered after it brutally cut into my skin. Blood welled in the cuts, threatening to fall. My teammates watched me and I could almost hear Itachi musing -wherever he was- at my furious reaction.

"He's."

Punch. A crack appeared.

"Late."

Kick. I snarled.

"And this damned tree won't break!" I pulled my fist back and punched with all my might; still nothing.

What was the reason I was abusing nature? You ask nervously.

Kakashi, our new teacher, is three hours late and it was time for training.

"Maybe he won't show up." Sasuke said his voice had a hint of muse as he watched me pound my bare fists on the tree. Naruto joined him and watched the thick tree endure permit damage.

Just then Kakashi walked out of the woods.

"Hey guys, sorry, I'm a little late…I see the little blossom has been busy." His one eye looked back at the tree. "So anyway, today I'm going to have you three spar. It every man for themselves; you'll find yourself in that position sometime in you ninja careers. I have many times."

"Hai!" We said in union.

Sasuke

I dug my heels into the dirt and skidded to a stop, kneeling over my abdomen where Sakura had delivered by far the hardest punch she'd given Naruto or me.

Sakura and I faced each other.

Her fists bore bruises and opened scars. Then there was her heaving breath, ragged like she couldn't get a descent breath out of her lungs. Seeing that I couldn't move at the moment, her hands came up to her heart and the green healing chakra glowed, her wounds stared to close.

In the time it took her to heal I'd have to think of a plan. Fast.

A long while ago Kakashi had put his book down and watched the fight; he was enjoying this. Clapping when Sakura sent Naruto flying halfway across the field and then I burned him to a fine crisp when he was airborne.

True, we had, together, taken Naruto out of the fight, but Kakashi said there could only be one winner. And it has to be me.

Sakura was skilled in close combat, so was I. Although if she got close enough to me she could break anyone of my bones because of her medic-nin training and earlier influences that she kept hidden behind a thick curtain. If I got close enough to her I could make a clone and while she was distracted I could trap her in genjustu. But it was risky.

Fighting from a distance wouldn't work, for either of us.

In the short time I knew Sakura she'd had always been a tough fighter. Kicking Naruto around the village with ever growing strength and strange skills she told no one about. But that last punch she threw at me –when I sent the fireball at Naruto and I was off guard- was enough to knock me back a few yards which was even stranger because her fist never made any contact with me.

She had a hidden ability, a strong one, and like all her other secrets I was going to find a way to unearth them.

I pushed myself into a full stand with my knees and released a painful breath. Sakura's hands fell to her sides, then balled into tight fists and her breathing became normal.

She was healed and I was out of time.

"Sakura," I said, just as an idea struck me. If I couldn't beat her I'd have to distract her. "Let's make this fight a little more interesting." Sakura smirked; she had always loved a good gabble. "If I win you tell me all you know about Itachi." Her eyes widened and her pretty face became something lethal.

"And if I win?" She asked.

"Not likely." I snorted. Sakura glared with venomous eyes and I smirked.

Anger looked good on her.

"You'll buy me anything I want from the market." I rolled my eyes.

Well, she is a girl. I reminded myself.

Sakura let out a battle cry and charged forward. I planted my feet and pulled out a kunai knife.

Sakura

We all stood in a hospital room an hour later.

Naruto has getting the burn marks on him treated, I had to get my leg check to see if it was broken and Sasuke needed bandages…a lot of them.

"Kakashi, your Genin really get into these fights…" said a nurse as she finished wrapping bandages around Sasuke's arm. I rolled my eyes at the dirty look he gave me and while the other medic felt my leg up, then nodded to me when she came to the conclusion that it wasn't broken.

Sakura-hime put your hand on your shoulder.

I did as I was told and felt the familiar sensational burning of healing chakra as the kunai knife stab wound closed up. It didn't even hurt like it usually would. Thank Kami, that Saku was a skilled healer.

"Sakura you're going to run out of chakra." Naruto said sensing my chakra levels growing with Saku's donation. I shook my head and my hand dropped from my shoulder and tried to ignore Saku's chastising so I could tell a decent lie.

"I know but this shoulder really hurt. Someone stuck a kunai in it."

Sasuke was silence and I sighed loudly. "So who won?" The nurse asked curiously.

"It was a tie between Sakura and Sasuke." Kakashi said from his reading spot on the window. "So when do I get my Genin back?"

"Well, Sakura and Naruto can go; Sasuke-san may have to stay." She smoothed Sasuke's raven black hair and was quickly pushed away.

"Why can't Sakura just heal me?" He snapped. I jumped off the bed and slowly walked over to Sasuke until our faces were inches apart. My eyes narrowed and I fixed a superior look on my face.

"It'll cost you." I said. Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed. "No more questions about your brother." Sasuke glared.

"Not. Worth. It." He spat.

~X~

I stared at the vast sky from the training ground in the Hyuuga complex.

Hinata was just finishing up her spar with one of her many cousins, so I had to wait and not 'distract' them unless I wanted to be kicked out by Hiashi, the passive Hyuuga clan leader, himself. I wasn't watching but the sounds were enough to paint me a mental image.

A grunt, then a stifled cry of pain and a stumble –so Hinata had been using her left shoulder, right leg combination that required quickly timed movements. Hiashi shouted from the sidelines for Hinata to move faster.

The sound of a bare foot kicking dirt touched my ears and then a thud and a pant–Hinata made a sloppy cartwheel. The sound I heard next was that of a flat palm on a boney limb –Hinata hit his shoulder.

"I give." A male voice said and they both stepped back and I swung myself into a sitting position. Hiashi was smirking.

"Well done your getting better." Hinata bowed to him, still panting from the adrenaline. "Oh, your friend is here to see you." Hinata turned and I waved her over.

"Good job, Hinata-chan!" I called playfully and Hiashi disappearing back in the house. He liked me well enough though; he'd probably send someone with tea and snacks while we gossiped and went over fighting moves. "That cartwheel was a bit much though." We laughed and I told her about my training while she told me a funny story that involved a hungry Akumaru and Shino's hand.

I laughed and then heard a scoff from down the hall, we turned and there stood Neji –Hiashi's brother's son who was a year older than us and if his father had been born first he would have been the head of the family, not Hinata. He always seemed a little mean, but it was his soul duty to protect Hinata from harm.

"Can we help you?" I snapped icily, knowing Hinata would never say anything to him.

"There's a reason why some of us graduate at the top of our class and it doesn't involve sitting around in the middle of the day when there is work to be done." He said coldly.

"Nee-san, I finished my training for the day." Hinata said softly.

"Very well," he turned down a winding hall and I distantly heard a door slam.

"Hinata, please don't take this personal but Neji really needs to learn to loosen up."

"I agree."