Five Years Later- Ninja Academy- Graduation Day

"I want to congratulate you all on your becoming of Genin. This is a new phase in your life. You will go through…-"

Uzumaki Naruto tuned out everything Iruka-sensei said next, deciding to just lay his head down on the table. He closed his eyes and reached up to ruffle his head, making his longer blonde bangs cover his eyes. The Hitaiate on his forehead prevented the bangs from covering his eyes completely, and he scowled in realization. Deciding it was useless to try to catch a nap, Naruto looked up and surveyed the classroom.

Out of the twenty-seven students that had been in the classroom this year, only twenty-three passed the graduation test. And that deeply confused Naruto. He had seen teams of Genin consisting of three or four Genin and one Jonin. However, it was an odd number. There would either be one team of two Genin or two teams of four. It honestly didn't seem fair, especially after Kakashi had told him that only three out of all graduating teams were selected.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts when he heard shuffling coming from beside him. He looked around to see the other Genin leaving the room. He stood up, and started heading towards the door but Iruka's words stopped him. "Naruto, would you please come here for a second?" The blonde blinked and nodded, smiling when he stood in front of his sensei.

"What's up?"

Iruka smiled down at him softly then ruffled his hair. "How'd you learn the Kage Bunshin no jutsu? Last time I checked, you had failed miserably at the normal Bunshin no jutsu."

Naruto chuckled and went to scratch the back of his head. "Well, you see, sensei, Kakashi-sensei taught it to me." When he saw the scarred brunette's raised brow, he explained more. "I suck at the Bunshin because I don't have very good chakra control, so I put too much into the technique, no matter how hard I tried to lower it down a notch. Kakashi-sensei helped me once he saw my predicament. He taught me the Kage Bunshin, and it was awesome! It's thanks to that that I managed to graduate."

Iruka smiled and shook his head. He jerked his head towards the door. "Well, then. Why don't you go on home? I'll go treat you to ramen when I get out of work, yeah?"

"Really?"

"Of course. You deserve it."

"Thanks a lot, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka watched as Naruto grinned and ran out of the room, throwing a wave at him over his shoulder. Iruka smiled sadly, 'I'm sure gonna miss that kid.' He sighed then looked up at the clock above the blackboard. 'She should be here any time soon,' Just as he finished that thought, the door of the classroom opened and Uzumaki Sakura walked in. Iruka smiled at her. "Right on time, Sakura, as always."

Sakura smiled up at him and nodded. "Of course, Iruka-sensei. I'm not going to miss my graduation exam."

Iruka chuckled. "Let's get started, then."

Uzuki Household- Graduation Day

"Sensei! Yugao-sensei, I'm home!" Sakura called out as she entered her home, taking off her ninja shoes and placing them by the door. She walked into the living room, frowning when she saw no one there. "Yugao-nee?" Sakura sighed when she got no answer. She turned to head into the hall but the sound of metal slicing through the air was heard. Caught slightly off guard and reacting too slow, Sakura was only able to duck and roll to the side to avoid the possible fatal wound.

The Jinchuuriki stood up, quickly drawing a kunai and getting in a defensive position. Her glare softened when she saw her mentor and guardian in front of her, smiling. She straightened up, putting the kunai back in the holster. "Why'd you-?"

Just because you graduated, Sakura, doesn't mean you can relax. You could be attacked any minute, by anyone. Always be on guard, alright?" Yugao smiled down at the girl and walked over to ruffle her hair. A glint of metal caught her attention and she blinked in sudden surprise. Crouching down to see what it was, she was pleased to find a Hitaiate tied loosely around the girl's neck. "Well, well, what do we have here? A Hitaiate? I'm guessing congratulations are in order."

Yugao stood back up and grinned, patting the girl's hair. "Great job, Sakura. I'm extremely proud of you." Sakura smiled up at her, the whisker-marks on her cheeks becoming more pronounced than before. Yugao noticed this then realized something. 'The older she gets, the more noticeable they are. Hope they don't become a problem in the future.' She watched as Sakura started taking in her Jonin uniform, her smile lessening. Yugao noticed that the whisker-marks were still there, not as noticeable, but still faintly there. 'How come I didn't notice this before?'

"Are you going somewhere, Nee-chan?" Sakura asked as she looked back up at her guardian.

Yugao smiled. "Yeah. The Hokage called me in earlier. I was just heading out." When she saw Sakura's sudden downed gaze, she added, "Don't worry. When I come back, we'll go out for diner to celebrate your graduation. How's that sound?"

Sakura grinned up at her and nodded, reaching up to grab her left shoulder with her right hand; a habit she had whenever she was pleased or embarrassed. Yugao chuckled and turned to leave. She seemed to remember something and turned back to her. "Read up on your tracking and sensory scrolls. That's the first thing I'm training you in after you meet your team tomorrow."

Sakura nodded again. "Alright, Nee-chan. See you later." Sakura turned to go to her room. She narrowed her eyes slightly at the floor and frowned. 'I wonder what my team will be like…' She thought in anticipation.

Sakura had no idea what to expect. She was never in a class in the Academy, besides that first year where they gave a Kunoichi's only class. Ever since then, she's been taught solely by Iruka-sensei. At first she was confused as to why she couldn't be in the Academy like the rest of the kids. As time passed and she began to understand her situation more clearly, she realized that she in particular was a danger to the other kids because of her weak seal. Not only that, but she still had some damage emotionally and psychologically. At the mere mention of Kumogakure, she becomes a little frantic.

That first year in the Kunoichi class, all she was taught was about gardening and herbs, and while absorbing every lesson she was taught, Sakura saw little point in taking that class. She also didn't particularly liked that class because she was never able to make friends. In fact, they teased her. If it wasn't for her slightly bigger forehead or pink hair, it was for the whisker-marks that appeared on her face whenever she would smile or frown, or the fact that she was always alone.

Everything went downhill, though, when she saw that Hinata tried to avoid her I all ways possible. That hurt Sakura the most. Your best friend turning away from you in fear…Sakura didn't wish it on anyone else.

After that year, she started taking classes with Iruka-sensei, seemingly the only teacher in the Academy that didn't hold any grudges against her. In fact, he seemed cheerful whenever she would come to him after he was officially done with his class or when she greeted him at the market place. It was a good change of pace, being with Iruka. He knew what she had gone through, having been an orphan himself and sharing advice with her whenever she felt doubtful. He was like an older brother to her, and she absolutely loved him for it.

Sakura blinked and looked around in her messy room. She scratched the top of her head for a second as she surveyed the room. She sighed after a moment of reflection. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to clean all of this up." She looked around again and sweat dropped. "Since when did I put kunai there?"

Hokage Tower

"-And Team Ten will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino with their leader Sarutobi Asuma. Please take time to review and reflect on your team and meet them at the Academy tomorrow after lunch. Everyone is dismissed. Uzuki, Hatake and Yuuhi, please stay." Sarutobi ordered and watched as the Jonin filed out of his office, the three aforementioned ones walking over to stand in front of his desk.

He waited for the door to close before turning to the three Jonin in front of him. "I assume you know why you're still here…?" He received two nods and a confused look. He smiled at Yuuhi Kurenai and pushed three files over to her. "We have three very important cases this year. One is Uzumaki Naruto," He pointed at the first file Kurenai picked up, "His marks are remarkable when it comes to hands-on practice. However, his written exam and practices are quite low, marking down to being the last of his class in this category." The Hokage shot Kakashi a look. Kakashi chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"That's not what troubles me, though. It's the fact that he's one of our Jinchuuriki. Not many people like him, and his prankster status doesn't help him. The other problem has to do with the fact that his classmate, Uchiha Sasuke, has a burning hatred for the boy. Sasuke is our other case. His marks are the best, as expected from the Uchiha clan. However, he is mentally unstable and his hatred for Naruto is endless. Naruto seems to follow on the same track. We've managed to avoid a bout between them for now but if they're put on the same team, I'm afraid that time will come."

"Our last case is our other Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Sakura. Like the other two, she's also mentally unstable. Her seal is weak, not as weak as it was when she was younger, but it's weaker than Naruto's. Because of this, I've kept them apart since Naruto was only three months old. While Sakura doesn't have a bitter rival or comrade, she's hesitant when the topic of Kumogakure is presented to her. So, I'm giving you, Kakashi and Kurenai, the opportunity to pick you squad. Yugao, you're here to give either Jonin your insights and advice."

Kurenai was still looking through the three children's files, a frown marring her face while she read. Kakashi decided he'd start, seeing as her fellow Jonin was preoccupied. "What are their relations with their fellow Genin?" He asked with a slightly serious air about him.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair. "Sasuke is quite the antisocial, Naruto is ignored most of the time but his relationship with Inuzuka Kiba is strong, and Sakura hasn't met any of them. However, Hyuga Hinata used to be her best friend. Hinata's been avoiding her for the past six years, probably in fear as she knows about the Kyuubi."

"What are the team candidates?" Yugao asked. It might not be her place to ask that question but she was curious as to what the Hokage had in store for them.

He answered within a heartbeat. "Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Sakura are the candidates."

Kurenai frowned and looked up from the papers. "This is quite a predicament. On one team, we could have a tracking team. On the other, it could specialize in special abilities. However, because of Naruto and Sasuke's hatred, we could have a crumbling team. Also, an Uchiha and two Jinchuuriki in a team would break the balance the teams have. Does Sasuke know that Sakura has the Kyuubi inside of her, as well?"

"No, but Sasuke is smart. He'll make the connections."

"Then maybe his hate will transfer over to Sakura and their teamwork might collapse. Kiba and Naruto have a strong friendship. Hinata is scared of Sakura because of the Kyuubi. If she finds out about Naruto having it inside of him, too, imagine the chaos." Kakashi stated with a sigh. So, picking teams was going to be as hard as he had first thought it would.

Yugao frowned. "That leaves either Shino and Kiba to be placed in Naruto and Sakura's team, then. The Aburame clan members are closed and like to keep to themselves-"

"Let's not forget that Naruto and Kiba are great friends. It could benefit their teamwork." Kakashi interrupted her, looking over to the Hokage.

Sarutobi smiled. "It's settled, then?" The three Jonin looked at each other and nodded. "Very well, then. Now, who will lead what team?"

Next Day- Ninja Academy

"Iruka-sensei!" Said teacher blinked and turned around, stopping in his tracks to greet the one who called him. Sakura ran down the street over to him, and when she was standing by him, smiled. "Good morning, sensei."

Iruka grinned back down at her. "Good morning, Sakura. Are you excited for today?" He opened his eyes and frowned when he saw Sakura looking down at the ground sadly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Sakura looked up at him, "I'm excited to get a team but…What if they don't like me? What if they only see the monster, and not me?"

The Academy teacher's gaze softened and he placed a hand on her head, a small smile on his lips. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure you'll have amazing teammates and you'll become an amazing team. You want to be Hokage one day, right? I'm sure your teammates will help you accomplish that dream."

Sakura stared at him before smiling softly. "You're right. Thanks, sensei."

Iruka chuckled. "Anytime. Now, come on, we need to get started." Iruka pushed her gently over to the classroom door and snickered when he heard her gulp. He saw that she was too nervous to reach up to the door so he opened it himself and pushed her in gently, the chatter of the room dying down when the two entered. Iruka leaned down and whispered in Sakura's ear, "Why don't you go on and take a seat? I'm going to start soon."

Sakura nodded quietly and started walking up the stairs, her eyes scanning the classroom quickly.

Over at the back of the room, Naruto had been staring at Sakura ever since she came in. His best friend, Inuzuka Kiba, chuckled and closed the blonde's hanging mouth. "You'll catch flies like that, baka." Kiba said, snapping Naruto out of his daze.

Naruto pulled the brunette towards him. "Who's that? I've never seen her before."

The Inuzuka shrugged, "Maybe she took some private lessons or something. One thing's for sure; she looks more like a kunoichi than any of the other girls around here."

Naruto grinned, having noticed that, too. "Yeah,"

His eyes roamed over her attire, taking in the black shirt short-sleeved shirt with red linings, the fishnet under that had sleeves reaching down to her elbows. She had a black and red skirt that reached mid-thigh with fishnets that reached down into her black ninja boots. Covering her hands were a set of black fingerless gloves. She had a red headband holding the bangs from her face, and she had changed the blue band of the Hitaiate to a black band, and tied it around her neck. But it wasn't the attire that attracted him, nor was it her pink coloured hair. It was her eyes. Her eyes were the deepest and most beautiful green he had ever seen. He'd get lost in them if he could.

Iruka's next words snapped him out of his thoughts. "Team Seven will consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba-"

"Hell yeah!" The two boys called out, giving each other a high five before Naruto went to give Akamaru, Kiba's familiar, a treat from his weapon holster.

The teacher rolled his eyes at the expected reaction before looking down and smiling slightly at the next name. "Calm down, you two, I'm not done, yet. Team Seven will consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Sakura."

At the mention of her name, Sakura looked up from observing the class. Iruka smiled and pointed over at the two pranksters with his pen. She looked over, raising her eyebrow at the two boys. They were staring at her, the blonde one with his mouth hanging open. Then he blinked and sent her a grin, waving at her slightly. Sakura smiled and waved back. She turned back to Iruka, oblivious to the party going around in the blonde's head at her response.

"Did you see that? She waved back! She even smiled!" Naruto whispered excitedly over to his best friend, not bothering in listening to the other teams. The next one did catch his interest, though. 'Sasuke got paired up with Hinata and Shino? Wow, sounds kind of boring. They're all so quiet and reserved. Hopefully, Sakura-chan won't be like that.' Judging by her response, though, she wasn't.

Kiba chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Looks like blondie here has a crush on pinkie over there, huh, Akamaru?" He looked up, the dog coming out of his hood and yelping in agreement.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kiba childishly before looking back over to their remaining teammate. "Nah, man, just glad we didn't get any of Sasuke's fan girls. I really do feel sorry for Shikamaru and Chouji for being paired up with Ino." Naruto sent Nara Shikamaru an apologetic smile, to which he received a muttered "Troublesome."

Kiba looked relieved to hear that but then frowned. "But wait, how do you know Sakura's not one of Sasuke's fan girls?" Naruto thought about this before cursing, hoping against hope that Sakura wasn't in fact one of Sasuke's fan girls.

The bell rang, dismissing the newly promoted Genin for lunch. "We should ask her to join us for lunch. You know, to get to know each other better." Naruto suggested as they stood up. Kiba nodded and Akamaru gave a bark.

"Hey," Sakura looked up from adjusting her gloves to find that her seemingly two teammates were in front of her. Her eyes were quick to take their forms in.

The taller one was a brunette with wild, spiky hair. He had cat-like eyes and two red fang-like marks on his cheeks. He had fangs, something she found to be utterly awesome. He was wearing a grey hoodie, the hood's rim covered with black fur. He also had grey pants and a black shirt underneath his opened hoodie. He had changed the band of the Hitaiate to black and tied it around his forehead. There was a white little dog perched on his head, making his longer bangs cover the top half of his eyes. He seemed used to it, though.

The other one was blonde with even wilder, longer and spikier hair. He had the most beautiful and striking blue eyes she had ever seen. He had a black vest over a blue shirt with orange lines along the sleeves. He had black ninja pants and black ninja sandals. His Hitaiate's band was blue and it was tied securely around his forehead. What struck her the most, though, were the whisker-marks. The same whisker-marks she had.

Sakura blinked, snapping out of her daze, and smiled at them as she stood up. She was the same height as the brunette, with the blonde one being the shortest by probably two inches. "Hey, you're my teammates, right?"

The brunette grinned. "Yep! I'm Inuzuka Kiba and this is my partner, Akamaru. Say hi, boy." Akamaru barked at her then jumped onto her shoulders, sniffing at her neck. She smiled and patted his head. She looked up when Kiba spoke again. He grabbed the blonde one by his neck and pulled him closer. "And this baka over here is Uzumaki Naruto but you can call him Dobe."

"Gah! Kiba!" Naruto complained as he tried to free himself from his friend's grip. When that proved to be useless, he smiled over at Sakura. "Hey, there- ttebayo." His eyes widened and a small blush covered his cheeks. "Sorry. I've been trying to stop saying that for a while, now."

Sakura giggled, and the boys decided that it was one of the best sounds they had ever heard. She waved the blonde off. "That's cute. I'm Uzumaki Sakura. I never thought I'd meet someone else with the same last name."

Naruto blinked then realized their surnames were the same. "Hey! I just noticed that."

Kiba rolled his eyes while Sakura chuckled. "Ignore him. He's pretty slow sometimes."

"Kiba!"

Akamaru suddenly barked and started licking Sakura's cheek. Sakura smiled while Kiba started freaking out. "What! Akamaru, what are you doing?" Akamaru barked again then jumped onto Sakura's head. He nestled himself there, making Sakura chuckle again. 'Lucky dog,' Kiba thought as he watched Sakura reach up and scratch his dog behind his ear. He blinked when Akamaru started purring like a cat. 'Okay, he's an extremely lucky dog.'

Naruto looked around and found the classroom to be empty besides the four of them. "Hey, everyone's off to lunch already. We should go." At Kiba's nod, Naruto turned to Sakura. "Wanna tag along?"

Sakura blinked in surprise then smiled. 'Iruka-sensei was right.' She nodded, reaching up to pick up Akamaru and place him on her shoulders. "Sure. I'd love to."

Ichiraku's Ramen Shop

After much debate and finding that they had extremely different tastes in food, they settled for Ichiraku ramen, complying with Naruto's wishes. As they sat at the bar, they talked animatedly about training and future missions. Naruto and Kiba found out that Sakura was actually not into dating boys at the moment – something that disappointed both of them – and just wanted to focus on her ninja career. It was a great relief to find that she had no idea who Uchiha Sasuke is but also regretted the day when she would meet him.

"When did you get Akamaru, Kiba?" Sakura asked, and Akamaru barked in content for being the centre of attention. He was sitting on Sakura's lap, eating from a smaller bowl on the counter.

Kiba grinned, "Kaa-san gave him to me when I tuned ten. We've been together since then, right, boy?" Akamaru barked in agreement, licked his partner's hand then went back to his food.

Naruto smiled at the interaction. "I've always wanted a partner like Akamaru but not a dog. I like foxes better." Naruto bit his tongue at the end of the last sentence, glancing over to Kiba and Sakura to make sure they didn't notice his slip of tongue. Kia shot him a warning glare before they settled their eyes on their female teammate.

Sakura was petting Akamaru. She smiled over to Naruto. "Yeah, foxes had always seemed to draw my attention. They're pretty clever animals." She looked back down at the puppy in her lap. An idea popped into her mind and she quickly turned to Kiba. "Can foxes be familiars and trained just like dogs in the Inuzuka clan?"

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows in thought before nodding. "Any animal can be a familiar and can be trained. It just takes time and commitment to do it."

Sakura looked over Kiba's shoulder to stare at Naruto. "What if we get familiar foxes and train them? I mean, Kiba and Akamaru specialize in tracking by smell. Maybe we could find something else that could compliment the team. It's only fair that we get familiars, too." Sakura deduced, unconsciously rubbing Akamaru's ear.

Naruto turned to the counter to think about it. It wasn't the idea that made him think. It was the fact that Sakura didn't have anything against foxes. Hell, she even seemed to love them! It was plus point on to him but he was still unsure of it all. First, it was the last name that had him confused. He had been pretty sure that he was the only Uzumaki in the village. Second, it was the whisker-marks. Maybe it was a family trait but if you thought about it, they really couldn't be related. They looked nothing alike and their blood type wasn't even close to being similar – as they had found out earlier. Now, she seemed to share the same enthusiasm about foxes that he does.

Something smells fishy and it's not just the shrimp ramen he's eating.

Coming out of his thoughts, Naruto turned to Sakura and grinned. "Sure! It sounds like fun. What do you think, Kiba?"

Kiba grinned smugly. "Sounds like a good idea but Akamaru will still be the best in the team."

Naruto grinned back, pumping his fist. "Oh, yeah? Just you wait! We are going to show you two off, right, Sakura-chan?"

"Damn straight!" Sakura added, smirking over at her two newly made friends. She suddenly stopped to think then leaned over to look at Naruto. "But wait, where do we get the foxes?" This got Naruto thinking. Where do they get the foxes?

Kiba shrugged. "My sister is a vet. Maybe we can go ask her after we meet up with our sensei?"

"The plan's all set, then!" Naruto chuckled, bringing his hands up behind his head. Sakura nodded in agreement and smiled.

Kiba looked in between them and smiled. 'Yeah, I could get used to this.'

Ninja Academy- Noon

"-Then, the guy opens the door, triggering the trap, and like hundreds of paint-filled balloons were thrown at him! I don't think the shower that night was enough to get the paint off him." Naruto laughed, and soon Kiba and Sakura had joined in with him. Akamaru barked twice before settling back inside Kiba's hood.

"Damn, Naruto, what did Kakashi say? Did you get in trouble?" Kiba asked, wiping the tears from his eyes. Sakura was gasping for breath, holding herself up against the wall and cradling her sides.

Naruto grinned. "They never caught me. The owner thought it had been the Genin that had been assigned to help him clean up his shop. They had to clean up again afterwards." The three teammates snickered as they entered the classroom, the chatter quickly dying down. They paused. "Who died?" Naruto asked suddenly but Sakura elbowed him gently in his ribs. He smiled on after her as she went over to sit down.

As Sakura was passing the third row, Yamanaka Ino decided to talk to her. "Hey, Sakura, was it?" Sakura stopped and turned to her, nodding. Ino smirked. "Well, just for your information, Sasuke-kun is off limits because he's mine." The classroom became quiet again at that statement. None of the other fan girls dared to even object to it because they knew that when Yamanaka Ino declared her love for the Uchiha prodigy, no one could mess with her.

Sakura frowned at her. 'Really? Is that what all girls my age think about? Dating boys? Whoever this Uchiha Sasuke is must be really fucking handsome, or else I'd be pretty disappointed; even more so than I am at the moment. Huh, this is why Shinobi always looked down on us Kunoichi. Most of us don't take our job seriously.' Sakura sighed then turned around. "Keep him; I'm not interested in dating at the moment. I'd rather learn how to survive in the ninja world than learn how to be a house wife."

"Oh! Burned!" Naruto laughed, high-fiving Kiba then wrapping his other arm around Sakura's shoulder when she sat down by him. "That's my teammate! Oh, yeah!" He grinned and Sakura shook her head while rolling her eyes. But the smile was clear on her face. She looked back over to the fuming Ino before sighing.

"Who's this Sasuke guy, anyway? Is he here?" Sakura asked them, gently shrugging off Naruto's shoulder. Naruto suddenly grew silent, his eyes becoming hard and cold.

"Yeah, it's that brooding guy over there." Kiba muttered, pointing over at the Uchiha. Sakura turned to look at him and examined him.

Sakura frowned after a moment. "I don't see why they like him so much. Kinda looks like a jerk."

Naruto glared at the Uchiha's back. "He is." Sakura raised her eyebrow at this then looked at Kiba for an explanation but the brunette only shook his head and looked away. Sakura looked back at the way Naruto was glaring at Sasuke before frowning.

'I wonder what happened between them,' Sakura thought then shifted her attention to the Jonin that just came in to gather his team.

After about half an hour, only three teams were left in the room: Team Seven, Team Ten and Team Eight. The room was silent, with the exception of Akamaru's occasional barks. Naruto groaned suddenly, "Oh, for the love of the Hokage, when is our sensei going to get here?" He complained, leaning back in his chair and gazing at the ceiling.

"Well, we could discuss our jutsu. We're going to be working as a team, right? We should know each other's strengths and weaknesses." Sakura suggested with a shrug.

Kiba chuckled and turned to Naruto, pointing his thumb over at his female teammate. "You know what? I like her. We should keep her." Sakura rolled her eyes and slapped the offending thumb away.

"I'm serious. We're going to be depending on each other out there. We should learn everything about each other. We need to trust one another other." She said, narrowing her eyes at the way Kiba looked away innocently.

"Everything?" Naruto whispered lowly, hoping they didn't hear him. He didn't want to tell Sakura about the Kyuubi. What if she rejected him? It's happened one too many times. He didn't want to lose his new friend.

Sakura heard him. "Yes…Everything." She herself didn't like it one bit. She didn't want them to find out that the Kyuubi was sealed inside of her. She didn't want them to fear her or look at her differently than they do now. They were the only friends she had now. She didn't want to lose them.

Kiba frowned inwardly as he stared at Sakura. He liked her simply because she was different. Hopefully, that means that she won't fear Naruto if he tells her about the Kyuubi. Yes, he knew. Naruto had told him one time when he had been over at his house, and the dogs in the compound started sniffing and barking at him. Kiba had demanded an explanation as to why the dogs reacted that way, and after Tsume had a brief talk with the blonde, Naruto finally told him.

"Alright, then. What jutsu do you know besides the three basic Academy ones?" Naruto asked after a brief moment of silence. He sighed in relief when Sakura's attention was drawn to the topic.

"Ninpou: Kyoukasui," Sakura answered, receiving two blank stares. "It's a Ninjutsu that uses flower petals made out of explosive notes. It circles and contains the victim, allowing me to make an additional attack."

Kiba grinned. "Awesome! So, you're like into explosives and stuff?" At Sakura's nod, he turned to Naruto. "Oh, yeah, we're keeping her." Kiba chuckled then pouted when Sakura playfully punched his shoulder. "Well, Akamaru and I can use the Juujin Bunshin. We have to take a pill to help out with our strength and stamina. Then, Akamaru turns into a clone of me and he can do whatever I can do."

"Oh, I wanna' see!" Naruto said, grinning up at the brunette.

"Not in here, though. Maybe later," Kiba suggested then snickered at Naruto's yell of excitement. "Alright, blondie, what about you?"

Naruto stopped cheering before he reached up to scratch the back of his head. "I can use the Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

Sakura gaped at him. "But that's a Jonin level technique!"

"Yeah, man, how could you do that?"

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I have a lot of chakra but not enough control over it. I couldn't do a normal Bunshin right because of that, so my guardian showed me the Kage Bunshin. I got it right off the bat."

Sakura blinked at the explanation before smiling. "That's amazing." Naruto blushed even further at the compliment, muttering a "Thanks" under his breath. She managed to hear him and that only made her smile even more.

Kiba, slightly jealous of this, decided to bring the conversation back on track. "What about special abilities? Akamaru and I can track down just about anything by smell." He gloated, Akamaru giving a yelp.

Naruto grinned. "I can see in the dark clearly without using any chakra to enhance my vision. Now that I think about it, it's probably the reason why my eyes are so bright."

"I have a high sense of hearing. Anything you guys whisper between yourselves, I'll hear it. Just a warning," Sakura winked at them, and despite the action being for just teasing them, it made the two blush.

"Team Seven?" Said team looked over to the door. "Please, come with me." Kakashi smiled at them through his mask then turned to leave. The team hurriedly followed him up to the Academy's roof top, where they sat down in front of him. "Very well, then. We should start with introductions, despite the fact that I already know the three of you. I just want to follow protocol. I'll give you an example. My name is Hatake Kakashi, I like reading (Naruto scoffed), training and going on missions. I dislike those who treat their comrades like trash. My hobbies are training and reading. My dream…I've actually never thought about it. You're next, Inuzuka."

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this is my familiar Akamaru. I like dogs and training. I dislike liars and judgemental people. My hobbies are walking Akamaru and helping my sister out in her vet office. My dream is to become the best tracker Konoha has ever known!" He grinned at the end and Akamaru barked in support. Kakashi nodded then turned to Sakura, who was seated in between the two boys.

"I'm Uzumaki Sakura. I like dumplings and foxes. I hate people who think highly of themselves or those who stomp down on others. My hobbies are spending time with Nee-chan or training with her." Sakura's eyes hardened, her voice filled with determination. "My dream is to become Hokage to show someone that I'm not worthless; that I'm more than just a piece of trash."

The boys stared at her intently after her speech. Kakashi hummed then nodded, pointing over to Naruto.

The blonde turned away from his teammate and turned to Kakashi. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and pranks. I dislike the Uchiha and those who hurt others for no reason. My hobbies are spending time with friends or training with Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smiled here, pumping his fist into the air. "My dream is to become the best Hokage this village has ever known. That way everyone will have to acknowledge me."

Naruto and Sakura turned to each other, a silent conversation passing on between them. At that moment, they declared themselves as rivals for the title of Hokage. Smirks were seen on their faces as an agreement was reached between the two. They turned back to Kakashi when he cleared his throat.

"Alright, then. You're all unique in your very own way. Now, tomorrow we will be doing our very first exercise as a team. You are to meet me at training ground three at seven o'clock sharp." Kakashi paused, deciding against telling them the percentage of them failing this test. 'We have a stronger batch this year. I'm certain of it.' Kakashi thought as he looked at each of them in their eyes. "You're dismissed. Naruto, I won't be coming home for a few more hours so why don't you go ahead and get dinner without me?"

The blonde nodded then grinned. "Sure thing, sensei. See you at home." Kakashi gave the team a lazy wave before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura turned to Naruto. "You live with Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, he's my guardian."

Kiba came up in between them, throwing his arms around their shoulders and starting to walk towards the stairs. "Let's go to my sister's office to go check that thing about your foxes."

The blonde chuckled then slipped away from his grasp. He tuned to the railing. "We're ninja now, Kiba! We don't need staircases!" Naruto called out then jumped off to the rooftops. Kiba laughed then jumped after the blonde. Sakura smiled after them and looked down at her feet to see Akamaru watching them, wagging his tail.

"Let's go," Sakura told him and took off when he yelped in agreement.

(And this is what +48 hours without sleep does to you. I know, it's not healthy. But like I said before, I've been quite out of it for a while now. Finding out my mother has cancer is very hard to come to terms with. I also apologize for taking a while, and for not answering your reviews or questions in this chapter. If you leave a review and/or a question, I'll answer it on the next chapter. I can't promise a specific date but I'll try not to make you wait so long for it. As always, please leave a review and thank you for reading.

7th Creature)