Recap

"How do you plan on becoming strong anyways?" Shisui asked prompting Sakura to mumble something he couldn't catch "What?" he asked

"I was hoping you'd help..." Sakura spoke up

"Why should I?" it wasn't meant to be offensive, just curious.

"If you help me I'll do anything you ask of me. I think it's a fair exchange, no?" Sakura asked looking him in the eyes

In his head Shisui thought that it wasn't a fair exchange, Sakura didn't have the ability to fulfill his desires nor did he have the heart to drag Sakura into his business. But..."Then let me take control of your body whenever I ask, within reasons of course"

Sakura gave him a closed eye smile missing the apologizing look he sent her "Deal!" and that was the second deal they made. The last one ended up badly, how will this one end up? Only time will tell...

Let's get down to business...

"We have thirty days before the exams"

Sakura nodded in confirmation, for once she was wearing a more suiting attire consisting of a pair of black pants and a red tee shirt. Even though the red was a bit eye catching, Shisui didn't have a problem. It wasn't like Sakura was aiming to join the ANBU.

"Okay, we'll start by properly introducing ourselves, I want to hear your name, your likes, your dislikes, your strong points, your weak points, your aspirations and things you're interested in life as a ninja"

"Umm, can you go first?" Sakura mumbled

Shisui just gave her an easy smile "Name's Shisui Uchiha, I like sweets, the village, training and my clan. I don't have any dislikes. My strong points are my speed, my mastery of the body flicker technique, my Genjutsu, my fire release and my shurikenjutsu. My weak points would be me trying to do everything on my own or my reluctance when it comes to fighting my allies. My aspirations was to protect both my village and clan. My interest in my career as a ninja would have been to make Itachi the Hokage and become his right-hand man"

Sakura processed the new information she received with a nod before taking a deep breath "I'm Sakura Haruno. I like also like sweets, reading, clothes and my friend. I dislike loud people, bullies and when people ask if my hair is naturally pink. My strong point would be my smarts and that I'm good at analyzing and memorizing. My weak points would be the physical aspects of being a ninja, the fact that I'm easily distracted by my emotions and my impulsiveness. My aspirations are to graduate at the top of my class, make a name for myself as a kunoichi and become stronger than the Sannin. My interests in the ninja career are Genjutsu and anything that has to do with chakra control, like the tree climbing you taught me"

Shisui nodded at the information "You could become a Genjutsu expert, Fuinjutsu expert or even a medic ninja with your control"

"But," Sakura interrupted "I don't wanna stand on the sidelines as everyone gets ahead of me. That's too scary. I don't wanna get left behind, I want to be in the lead with them"

"A heavy-hitter who's well-versed in the other skills" Shisui concluded

Sakura nodded "That's about it, I'm a bit interested in the skills that an Anbu has too, but that can wait."

"Yeah, we'll be starting with some physical training if you don't have any questions"

"Actually, what's Fuinjutsu?" Sakura asked raising her hand as if she was in the academy, her head tilted to the side making her seem childishly cute.

"Well my cute student, Fuinjutsu is the dying art of sealing. The basic concept of Fuinjutsu is sealing chakra, objects or living beings into scrolls." Shisui slowly explained

Sakura frowned "That doesn't explain anything! How do you seal something into a scroll? Are scrolls the only thing you can seal things in?"

Shisui sweat dropped at the multiple questions being thrown at him "Well my cute nerd, I myself only know the bare minimum of Fuinjutsu. So, you should ask your academy teacher or visit the local library. You probably won't find anything of interest until you become a ninja."

Sakura's shoulders slumped "I thought you were smart"

"Hey!"

With a defeated sigh she shrugged "Oh, well. Let's just start already, okay?"

Shisui gave her a smile.

It didn't really feel pleasant.

Push-ups, laps, sit-ups, running, crunches, stretches, squats...you name it. Sakura was sure she did at least fifty of them today. At the end of the day she was sweating like a pig as Shisui explained the concept of Taijutsu to her. He even went as far as listing not only the known Taijutsu forms in the Leaf, but also the other ones spread out in the other elemental lands.

Let's just say Sakura didn't know that there was more to Taijutsu than just hand-combat. It was actually slightly interesting to know the concept of the different forms.

The Hyuga clan were swift, precise and fast. The Nara clan focused on dodging and redirecting. The Yamanaka clan focused on speed and prediction. The Akimichi clan focused on raw strength and blocking. The Inuzuka clan focused on combination attacks with their ninken. The Aburame clan focused on combining their attacks with their bugs. The Uchiha clan focused on their own "secret" Taijutsu that was actually a mix of various blended in together.

That was only in the Leaf Village. But let's not go into that much detail and just say that Sakura liked two styles better. One out of the Mist village that focused on misdirecting and being very flexible and one out of the Hidden Cloud Village that focused on being fast enough to get into your opponents guards and out.

The Fire and Wind based Taijutsu was close second to her. Simply because the fire styled Taijutsu focused on dominating your opponent gracefully while the wind Taijutsu was unpredictable.

The Earth was her least favorite due to the sheer raw strength it needed.

It was only due to her shitty luck that Shisui instructed her to start wearing weights the very next day. Now that was brutal. Especially since she was forced to run around the village. Twice.

"To defeat the odds"

Anko slammed her hands on the desk in front of her "Oi, I'm telling the truth! I'm not gonna kill the kid, just let me look at her files!"

Ibiki raised an eyebrow at Anko, while others were cowering in fear of what he would do to her, he himself was unaffected already used to Anko's boldness. Making Anko be obedient was like trying to convince someone that the great Madara Uchiha was actually a good guy.

"I still can't let you look through this kid's file, it's against the rules to snoop into other clans' members without permission" Ibiki easily said

"She doesn't belong to a clan!"

Oh?

A girl without a clan gaining Anko's attention? That wasn't something that happened. At all. Ibiki couldn't decide if this kid was lucky to get some recognition from a ninja like Anko at such a young age or unfortunate because, well, she gained Anko's attention.

"Her name?" Ibiki asked

"Sakura Haruno, pink hair, green eyes. You can't miss her" Anko listed off quickly with a victorious grin

Fighting off a sigh Ibiki went to the back leaving Anko tapping impatiently on the desk. When he got back it was with a thin file, barely had three pages in. "I can't see what's so interesting about this civilian"

Anko didn't say anything and merely snatched the file away from Ibiki.

Her eyes scanned over the picture of a younger Sakura smiling shyly at the camera before focusing on the words,

Name : Sakura Haruno

Clan : None

Age : 8

Blood Type : O

Birthday : March 28

Hair : Pink

Eyes : Green

Mother : Mebuki Haruno

Father : Kizashi Haruno (suspected to be very distantly related to the Uzumaki clan)

Occupation : Academy student

Mother's occupation : Baker

Father's occupation : Merchant

Growling in frustration at the trivial and boring information the snake mistress skipped over the page that dealt with Sakura's health and went to check her recent academy grades.

Taijutsu : D-

Ninjutsu : C+

Weaponry : C-

Genjutsu : B-

Class Attitude : C

Cooperation : D-

Academics : A-

Kunoichi classes : C

"This is bullshit!" Anko declared throwing the files on the desk "The kid's grades were tampered with!" she accused

Ibiki calmly picked up the files "That's not possible"

"Then how would you explain her grades being nothing like I expected?" Anko questioned crossing her arms

"Either she's purposely downplaying her skills or she's a spy"

"She's not a spy"

"Oh? And how would you know that?"

"I just do"

"Then she's downplaying her skills"

Anko seemed to play with the idea, "Well it could be possible if I consider what she thinks being a ninja means..."

"What does she think?"

"Self-sacrifice and protecting the village from within its own shadows" Anko quoted perfectly

Ibiki had a contemplative look "That's odd. Not that her idea is wrong or anything, but it's different from what other civilians or clan born kids with normal backgrounds think. Why would she reach that conclusion?"

"Did they send me weaklings..."

"Today we'll be focusing on the supplement art of all ninja skills"

Sakura merely fiddled with the blind fold she had on "Which is?" she prompted

"The art of accurately throwing a weapon"

Sakura took off her blind fold to see multiple targets standing across from her "Basically, Shurikenjutsu?"

"Uh-huh, it's arguably underrated but very useful. Take Itachi for example, he's an expert in Shurikenjutsu. He always hits his targets perfectly, with disturbing accuracy and from any blind spot. All that while wearing a blind fold."

Already used to Shisui using Itachi as an example Sakura didn't have a conflicted look anymore, merely the look of awe. "Now that's placing the standards high" she blurted out

Shisui chuckled "Now how do you think he became such an expert? One, two, three...the correct answer is his mother and a lot of practice"

"His mother?" Sakura asked feeling surprised

"Aunt Mikoto could be considered the mistress of Shurikenjutsu, or even the mistress in the art of throwing. Shuriken, kunai, senbon, anything you can throw she can throw a million times better without ever missing. She was famous in the clan for her skills in assassination. Stealth, Genjutsu, poison and Shurikenjutsu were her four traits when she was a member of the Anbu"

"Wow, Mikoto-san sounds amazing."

"She was" Shisui smiled

Sakura glanced away, she hated that sad smile Shisui had.

"So how do you throw?" she asked

"Ah, well the thing is when it comes to Shurikenjutsu being smart helps a lot. You have to take in everything, the wind, the distance, the weight of your weapon, your own weight, the power behind your throw...everything should be calculated. Then finally, you have to learn to do instantly calculate all this to the point that it becomes instinctive like muscle memory"

"When I asked, for shinobi?"

"Stand up"

Sakura panted heavily, she tried to force her trembling hands to move. She needed to keep climbing. 'Let's switch out'

Inner ignored the pain Sakura's body felt as she stood up and dusted her clothes. "What's the point of this anyways?"

If Shisui realized the attitude change he didn't comment "Climbing this cliff is mostly for footwork before I take your chakra control exercise to the next level"

Nodding Inner grabbed the closest part of the rocks that she could hold on to before pushing herself up. She could climb a mountain for Sakura no problem. She couldn't let Sakura do all the work.

"You're the saddest runt I've ever met"

"Aah!" Sakura yelled as she felt her chakra control loosen and sunk into the water.

Without wasting a moment she swam right back up and forced herself to stand on the water again.

"We'll have to work on your reserves" she heard Shisui comment

"But you can bet, before we're through.."

"Bend the whole way down!"

"I can't, or my bones will break"

"Even if they do, you won't die"

Sakura groaned in pain as she tried to split again.

"I'll make a kunoichi out of you"

Panting Sakura continued to deflect the onslaught of wooden shuriken that were coming towards her, sometimes dodging them.

"Hmm, now I'll have to teach you how to redirect them towards the enemy"

Sakura mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'slave driver'

"Tranquil as a forest"

Sakura was in a perfect hand stand on a metal stump nailed down in the river. Her eyes were closed as she continued to keep her balance, this was needed for the Taijutsu form she was working on and for meditating in unusual situations. Killing two birds with one stone.

Taking in a deep breath she shakily lifted of her right hand and wobbly balanced herself with her left hand only, letting out a relieved breath at the fact that she didn't fall. A pleased smile lit up her features.

"DANGO!"

With a shriek she lost her balance and fell into the river with a loud splash.

"But on fire within"

Kick, rib kick, punch, slap, round house kick and punch

"Start over again!" Shisui ordered clapping his hand

Sakura groaned "This game is so hard!" she whined

The game? She wasn't allowed to use the same move until after thirty seconds in order for her to not become predictable.

"Once you find your center..."

"Element type?" Sakura repeated taking a hold of the paper that was stuffed in her pockets, so that was what Shisui wanted to buy in her body. The mystery was solved.

"Yep, it's never too early to try and master your affinity"

Sakura blinked at the explanation,

"Just pump some chakra into the paper and I'll explain more later"

Doing as told Sakura watched on expectantly as the paper...did nothing?

"That's odd..."

"Maybe I just don't have an affinity?"

"Hmm, maybe...I'll just teach you about the fire release. Of course you're not allowed to let anyone know" Both were still frowning at the paper

"Then you are sure to win"

"Four"

"A shinobi must always put the mission first." Sakura answered throwing a kunai towards a target

"Twenty five"

"A shinobi must never show their tears." Too far from the center

"Eleven"

"A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings." Almost hit the center

"Fifteen"

"A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions."

"Three"

"A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to."

"Seven"

"A shinobi must never show any weakness."

"First"

"A shinobi must remain loyal to their village and keep the village's best interest in mind!" Sakura smirked as she finally hit the bulls eye

"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot"

"My eyebrows.." Sakura mumbled in sadness as she plucked her eyebrows to make them even again

"And that's why the fireball jutsu shouldn't be practiced without permission" Shisui scolded

"And you haven't got a clue"

Sakura huffed as she continued jumping.

Suddenly, she didn't like skipping ropes anymore.

"Somehow I'll make a shinobi out of you"

"Paw print game?" Sakura echoed

"Yep, basically you just have to get the paw prints of every cat in the village. Consider it a little side mission from me" Shisui playfully winked at Sakura

For her part Sakura was so dumbfounded that she bumped into a tree. How embarrassing.

"I'm never gonna catch my breath"

A wide eyed Sakura leaned heavily against the wall "I did it..." she breathed out staring at the fifth paw print she got

"Well, Junko has always been feisty. Doesn't like it when strangers touch her, especially not her paws"

"A warning would have been nice"

"Say goodbye to those who knew me"

"HARUNO!"

Sakura blinked glancing behind her and saw a purple haired woman walking quickly towards her "Who's that?" she murmured to herself

"Crap..." a pale Shisui muttered, "Sakura let me borrow your body"

"Why?" Sakura asked ignoring the ghost of a drunkard that was trying to convince her to drink

"So we can escape"

"Okay"

"Boy, was I a fool at school for cutting gym"

"Hey, kid you can't go outside the village without permission" the gatekeeper warned

A flushed Sakura blinked, "Ah, sorry. I was just running and got lost in thoughts"

"Just don't let it happen again girl, you're lucky I know you're telling the truth or else others would have labeled you as a spy or runaway kid"

"This guy got 'em scared to death"

"Kill a rabbit?" Sakura repeated

"Yes"

"I refuse"

"You can't refuse me"

"And I can't kill a bunny!"

"Death is part of the life of a shinobi"

Suffice to say Shisui gave Sakura some space to mull over killing animals and the fact that she has to kill a human one day. He didn't have the heart to tell her that it was stupid of her to dig a grave for the rabbit that she killed

"Hope he doesn't see right through me!"

Sakura let out a yell and closed her eyes as she slipped on the cliff

A few seconds later her body hit the river with a splash

"Now I really wish I knew how to swim"

Sakura ran towards the tree, before she reached the second branch she jumped away and flipped in mid-air, twisting herself in an odd angle that took her three weeks to achieve before throwing her shuriken.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Sakura grinned as her feet hit the ground soundly, one more.

Thump!

She cheered seeing the four kunai that were exactly in their respective targets' centers.

"With all the force of a great typhoon"

Punch, kick, slap, back-hand slap, left hook, knee, poke in the eyes, high-kick, round house kick, right hook, punch, kick, slap

She glanced at Shisui's grinning face before resuming her moves.

"With all the strength of a raging fire"

Snake

Monkey

Ram

Boar

Horse

Tiger

She sucked in her breath, before releasing it "Fire Style : Great Fireball technique!"

It wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. Panting she turned to look at Shisui who had a small proud smile. Her flushed face became a bit redder "So? Am I ready?" she asked

"You passed the coming of age ceremony of the Uchiha clan, now I can teach you more"

"But I'm not an Uchiha"

"So? I'm making you an unofficial member"

Sakura smiled

"I'll be teaching you Genjutsu after you pass the exams" Shisui winked at her before she blacked out due to exhaustion.

"Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"

Unafraid of the future...

A/N : The obligatory training chapter before she enters the same class as the Rookie nine. I'll probably update that chapter tomorrow.