[Disclaimer: This story uses dialogue and events from the original Naruto manga and anime series. It is a retelling of sorts from the perspective of Sakura Haruno with changes to events and additional scenes. All rights to the creators of Naruto etc.]
The Turning Point
Sakura arrived at the designated training field and found she was all alone. She grumbled to herself about Kakashi's lateness and her stomach rumbled with her in agreement. What an idiotic request to not have breakfast. Surely a good, healthy and nutritious breakfast would be consumed by any elite ninja before setting off on a long arduous mission. Not only that but she had to get up at 4 this morning just to do her hair!
Sakura scanned the training grounds for any sign of her teammates, the solitude was beginning to intimidate her and she longed for company even that of Naruto. Suddenly her senses picked up on a familiar chakra, it was Sasuke! It was strange Sakura thought that his chakra was faint and coming from the training field on the far left past the forest. She was certain that Kakashi had told them to meet at the training ground in the centre, closest to the entry point.
Nevertheless the pink haired teen went off in search of Sasuke, perhaps she'd just made a mistake and they were all waiting for her. She quickened her pace not wanting to delay Sasuke and Naruto from this very important survival exercise. Cringing inwardly Sakura thought of another infamous Uchiha glare being shot in her direction.
As she neared closer to the training grounds she could hear the clash of kunai and the quiet instruction of Kakashi-sensei.
"That was alright. Remember Naruto keep your eyes on the opposing person's weak areas, you're flourishing your kunai around needlessly. Sasuke you need to harness your chakra better and spread it evenly throughout your body. Currently you're using too much of it on speed which although important is not necessary for close range combat" The familiar voice echoed.
Sakura stopped and hid behind some bushes, peering out into the training field. There were Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto training without her! She watched the two boys nod and prepare to spar again.
Why would they have started training without her? Kakashi had said a 5am start but it Sasuke and Naruto looked exhausted which indicated they had been out here since at least 3am.
Sakura deliberated running out onto the field and announcing her presence, but that seemed at bit over dramatic. Maybe they hadn't been here since 3; maybe Sasuke and Naruto had put their differences aside and woke up at 4 to spar with each other? Maybe Kakashi sensei had only turned up in the last 5 minutes or so. With this reassurance Sakura walked across the field and waved.
"Ohayou Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called and watched as Kakashi turned to look at her with complete disgust.
"Why are you here Sakura?" he asked in annoyance.
Sasuke and Naruto had stopped sparring and were standing next to their sensei looking at her with pity and arrogance. "What do you mean why am I here? I'm on this team!" Sakura half yelled, panic beginning to mount within her.
"Hn. Not anymore you're not. After that pathetic introduction you gave yesterday we went straight to the Hokage and requested you be transferred out of Team 7"Tears stung the corners of Sakura's eyes as she tried to process what Sasuke had said.
Transferred out of her squad? They hadn't even started training yet.
"W-what? No you can't do that!" Sakura yelled at him but Sasuke simply turned and walked away as did Kakashi.
"N-Naruto? Surely you don't think this is fair" Sakura asked, her voice wavering but Naruto glared at her.
"You're rude and selfish; all you care about is how you look. You'd be more than useless in a fight and you don't have any goals. You're just here for Sasuke" Naruto declared angrily and Sakura gaped at him.
"Besides we've already found your replacement" he finished as Sakura looked across the field to see a blonde haired girl standing next to Sasuke and Kakashi.
"I-Ino? You're my replacement?" Sakura whispered as Ino walked over, holding hands with Sasuke.
"See Forehead, I told you, you're not cut out to be a ninja. All that pointless chasing after Sasuke, it got you nowhere. He's mine now" Ino smirked in victory as Sasuke leaned down to kiss her.
Sakura's heart shattered into a million pieces, her knees gave way and she fell to the ground sobbing uncontrollably.
Ino sighed and rolled her eyes before walking away with Kakashi and Naruto following behind her. Sasuke bent down until he was eye level with a very tearful Sakura.
"S-Sasuke w-why?" she asked, her fingers digging into the soft earth, whole body shaking as another round of sobs racked her body.
"Because you're weak" Sasuke replied simply. Sakura felt herself swaying and everything went black.
"NO SASUKE, NARUTO, KAKASHI! COME BACK I'M NOT WEAK"
Sakura shot upright covered in sweat, tears running down her face. She tried to slow down her breathing and looked out her window, it was still quite dark. Her clock read 4am and normally Sakura would get up, have a shower and spend the remainder of her time on her appearance.
With Naruto's words from her dream still fresh in her mind Sakura reset her clock to 4:30 and tried to get back to sleep. It was a conformation of what she was feeling yesterday, her goals were naïve and childish.
Sasuke wouldn't want to be with someone who couldn't do anything for themselves, after all what was the point in becoming a ninja then? It sort of made sense in her dream that Ino replaced her and became Sasuke's girlfriend; she was strong and determined while Sakura was weak and unsure of herself.
What do I want to do with my life?
Her parents were both retired ninja's and they had served Konoha with pride. She too wanted to help her village in some way. Frustrated she tossed and turned; finally she threw the covers off and looked at the clock again. It was still early but Sakura felt like she could do with a walk to clear her head.
She undressed and stepped into the shower letting the hot steamy water wash over her body as she tried to process everything. It had just been a dream, a horrible nightmare but what Naruto had said was true. She was selfish and superficial. Sakura wasn't sure how but that needed to change.
After a quicker than usual shower she stood in front of her closet and looked at her one ninja outfit. The red dress with the white Haruno circles she chose because she thought it would get Sasuke's attention, but looking at it now it seemed impractical for a ninja. Among her ninja outfit there were fancy dresses, high heels and plenty of accessories.
Perhaps I need to rethink my wardrobe, Sakura thought. She knew elite female ninja would have maybe one or two nice dresses for special events and the rest would be ninja clothing.
Because she didn't have anything else Sakura donned her usual attire but decided she'd look around the stores after training and try to find something a little more practical. Instead of spending ages on her hair Sakura simply brushed it a couple of times and finished packing her bag. Shutting her front door behind her quietly so as not to wake her parents, Sakura walked down the street towards the training grounds.
The streets of Konoha were quiet except for the few dedicated shop owners who were cleaning up their stores before the daily rush. Other villagers were preparing their stalls on the sides of the road in the hopes of a good sales day. Sakura kept her head down and continued walking, the disgusted look on Kakashi-sensei's face and the hurtful words of Naruto and Sasuke never leaving her mind.
Because you're weak. Rude and selfish; all you care about is how you look…
Being so preoccupied with her thoughts Sakura almost didn't see the little girl standing in front of her and almost ran into her.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there" she said sadly before continuing on her way.
"W-wait! You're a ninja aren't you?" the small child's voice called after her.
Sakura turned around to look at the brown haired girl before smiling slightly. "Yes, I guess I am. Why?"
The girl shifted her weight and looked at Sakura with pleading eyes. "Please my name is Ayme, my brother is ill. My parents are out on a mission and won't be back for a while. A lady came by and treated him yesterday but he isn't looking much better. Can you help?" she pleaded.
Sakura was shocked, she didn't know much about illnesses and treating people who were sick.
Yet another thing I'm too weak to accomplish Sakura thought, looking at the girl.
She was obviously distraught and Sakura sensed no genjutsu; she knew it was her ninja duty to help someone in need no matter what the task.
"My name is Sakura. I don't know too much about medical procedures but I'll take a look at your brother. Does that sound okay?" she asked. Ayme nodded and took Sakura by the hand leading her to a nearby house.
"Oniisan, I found a ninja her name is Sakura; she's going to take a look at you!" Ayme exclaimed as they entered a smaller room within the house. Looking around Sakura saw a boy lying in a bed sweating profusely.
"Hitoshi! Sakura please help him" Ayme cried as she rushed to her brother. Hitoshi looked a year younger than Sakura at most. Approaching him, Sakura lifted a hand to his forehead and felt an extreme amount of heat.
"Well I'm no doctor but your brother appears to be running a very severe fever. Without treatment soon the fever will get worse. Ayme do you remember what the lady who treated your brother did?" Sakura asked, Ayme scratched her head and then smiled.
"Yes, she did something that made her hands glow green, then she put them on Hitoshi's forehead and he stopped sweating" the little girl explained. Sakura nodded "Sounds like a transfer of chakra, I don't know if I have enough to get rid of the fever completely but I might be able to relieve some of the pain"
Closing her eyes the pink haired ninja placed her hands on either side of Hitoshi's head. A surge of power flowed through her and her hands began to glow green to Ayme's delight. Sakura focused on projecting the chakra, however she began to tire quickly and beads of sweat broke out across her forehead. Suddenly the chakra recoiled like a rubber band and Sakura felt herself slump forward and collapse on the ground.
"Hey are you alright?"
Sakura's eyes fluttered open to see a blonde woman with massive boobs leaning over her. She got up carefully and put a hand to her head, Sakura could tell she was drained completely of chakra.
"Headache?" The woman asked and put her hands on either side of Sakura's head, immediately Sakura felt rejuvenated as she was pumped full of chakra.
Once she was able to stand, Sakura went over to the bed at looked at Hitoshi. His fever was all but gone and Ayme smiled brightly at her.
"Thank you for helping him Sakura, you also Lady Tsunade" she spoke happily.
Sakura smiled and turned to the blonde woman named Tsunade. "Thank you for replenishing my chakra, I take it you're the lady who healed Hitoshi yesterday?" she asked. Tsunade nodded and smirked at the pink haired girl.
"Ayme said you weren't sure of what you were doing, nevertheless you managed to quell most of Hitoshi's fever. You obviously have good chakra control; with plenty of training you'd make a fine medic ninja someday" The blonde woman commented, getting to her feet and helping Sakura up as well.
"You are a medical ninja then?"
Tsunade smiled "Well I hate to toot my own horn but I'm one of the very best. You're a genin level ninja I'm assuming?"
Sakura gave a nod of affirmation.
"Kakashi Hatake must be your sensei then. Correct?" Tsunade asked. Sakura gasped, how did this stranger know who her sensei was?
"How do I know? Only Kakashi would make his students get up this early in the morning for training. By the way, the secret to the bell test is teamwork." Tsunade winked at her before turning her attention to the little girl.
Sakura was beyond confused, what did she mean by a bell test?
"Ayme, Hitoshi should make a full recovery. As for you Sakura, you have great potential. I'm here in Konoha for the rest of the week on business before I leave for the Sand Village to act as their stand in head medic for a few months. If you're interested in training under me you know where I'll be" Tsunade offered.
Standing up the blonde lady stood up and ruffled Ayme's hair and shook hands with Sakura before leaving the house. Sakura stared after the woman, a medical ninja?
"I think you'd make a good medical ninja Sakura, you healed my brother" Ayme said. Sakura nodded maybe Ayme and Tsuande were right. What harm could it do? Her goals were non-existent at the moment.
"Wait a second… my goals? My dream… THE SURVIVAL EXERCISE! I'M LATE! BYE AYME!" Sakura yelled as she sprinted out of the house as fast as she could towards the training grounds.
Sasuke and Naruto had arrived at the training grounds at five minutes to five. Naruto looked absolutely shattered and grumbled about the time and the fact that Ichiruka wasn't open this early in the morning. Sasuke however had been up since 4 training so he was wide awake and ready to start.
Sasuke was determined not to be sent back to the academy. It was bad enough he had been put on a team with that obnoxious Sakura and the idiotic Naruto but to be right back where he started was not an option. Itachi was the man Sasuke wanted to kill; he was personally responsible for the Uchiha massacre and the death of all of Sasuke's family. He would pay for what he did.
Sasuke was quietly confident compared to Sakura and Naruto he had the most advanced skill in the squad. He could care less what happened to either of them, all a team would do was slow him down. He knew out of the three of them one would be sent back to the academy which meant he'd be stuck with either Naruto or Sakura.
"Hey Sasuke, its 5:30 and Kakashi and Sakura aren't here yet!"
Sasuke sighed; Naruto was pissing him off by stating the obvious. Although Sasuke wondered where the pink haired girl was he wouldn't be half as annoyed with Naruto if she were here to lecture him and keep him quiet.
That's all she's really good at, Sasuke mused. Truthfully even Naruto despite his low scores was more advanced in terms of combat than she was. It was decided, Sasuke would much prefer Sakura to be sent back to the academy than Naruto.
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
Sasuke opened his eyes to see Naruto waving and calling out to Sakura. Sasuke noticed her hair wasn't as neat and as straight as yesterday and the dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn't had a good night's sleep. Sasuke mentally slapped himself for being concerned with such trivial matters.
"Ohayou Sasuke-kun, Naruto. Sorry I'm late… I uh someone needed assistance on my way here" Sakura said quietly. Sasuke looked at her suspiciously, what did she mean by that? Naruto was less subtle and preferred to shout his question at an ear splitting volume.
"WHO NEEDED YOUR HELP SAKURA? WAS IT A COUNCILOR OR THE HOKAGE?"
Sasuke looked at Sakura expecting her to hit Naruto for yelling so loudly at this ridiculous hour, but instead she just gave a sad smile and shook her head.
"No, just a little girl. I did what I could to help her" Sakura explained.
Naruto smiled and seemed satisfied with the answer but Sasuke was more observant. Something was different about her, he just didn't know what. Naruto was getting impatient, that stupid old man said to meet at 5am and it was now 6:30.
"Where is Kakashi huh? That idiot tells us to meet him at 5 and he's not even here yet! I'M SO HUNGRY I COULD EAT A HIPPO!"
Sakura sighed; Naruto was being such a pain. Her ears pricked up at the sound of kunai clashing together, it was coming from the left training field. Flashes of her dream came back to her and Sakura shuddered which didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked. Sakura looked at him and flinched as she remembered his cold words.
"Nothing I just thought I heard…Never mind" Sakura trailed off.
Sasuke glared at the ground. Stupid annoying girl, what kind of answer was that?
"THAT'S IT! If Kakashi-sensei doesn't get here soon I'm going to the Hokage and asking for a new teacher!" Naruto bellowed.
Sakura snapped and hit him over the back of the head. "DAMN IT NARUTO SHUT UP! I'M SURE KAKASHI HAS A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR WHY HE ISN'T HERE!"
"Well hi there" Sakura looked up to see Kakashi standing in front of them.
"YOU'RE LATE" Naruto yelled as loud as he could, Sakura's left eye twitched and Sasuke glared at the blonde loudmouth.
"And you're still loud so I guess we're even" Kakashi replied nonchalantly, Naruto growled.
"Aren't you going to tell us where you were?" Naruto demanded.
Kakashi took a clock out of his bag and put it on the nearest tree stump. "Hmm let me see… no. Now if there are no more interruptions we can get started" Pushing down on the clock Kakashi turned around and faced his students.
"I've set the clock for noon, the assignment is very simple" The silver haired Jounin reached into his back pocket and pulled out two bells which jingled in the breeze. Sakura gasped, Tsunade had said something about a test involving bells.
"All you have to do is take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon then you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you" Kakashi explained simply.
At that moment Naruto's stomach let out an almighty growl, Sakura put a hand to her own stomach as hunger pains stabbed at her insides. He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us! Sakura thought angrily, and then she noticed a crucial detail.
"Wait a minute there's three of us, how come there are only two bells?"
Kakashi smiled through his mask. "Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy"
Sakura glared at the bells, she knew there had to be more to it than that. There was no way she by herself could take on a Jounin level ninja and win. She doubted even Sasuke could.
"But then again all three of you could flunk out to. You can use any weapons including shuriken; if you're not prepared to kill me you won't be able to take the bells" Kakashi finished looking at each of them. Sakura swallowed hard, prepared to kill him? Wasn't that just a little extreme?
"Really sensei you sure you're up for it? I mean since you couldn't dodge that eraser!" Naruto laughed.
Kakashi however was not amused. "Class clowns are usually the weakest links, you can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers"
Sakura glared at Kakashi, she knew how it felt to be called weak and embarrassed in front of everyone even if it was in a dream.
Suddenly she heard Naruto whip out at kunai and knew he was going to go straight for Kakashi. Before he could even move Sakura grabbed his wrist and forced the kunai out of his hand.
"Don't listen to him Naruto, you're not weak. Besides he didn't say start yet" Sakura said with a smirk.
Naruto smiled and nodded before picking up the kunai.
Hn. What's with the new attitude? She wasn't like this yesterday Sasuke thought, looking at Sakura. Curiosity was getting the better of him
"It seems she's starting to take this seriously after all" Kakashi smirked behind his mask.
"Interesting, if Sakura hadn't have stopped you Naruto you would have come at me with the full intention of destroying me. So how can I say this…? I'm actually starting to like you guys"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "THIS GUY IS A PSYCHO!" Inner Sakura screamed and Sakura couldn't help but agree with her.
"Get ready … and… start!"
Sakura concealed herself under a bush, her chakra tracking indicated that Sasuke was on a tree branch a few meters away from her and Naruto was…
"YOU AND ME RIGHT NOW FAIR AND SQUARE LET'S GO!"
… Standing a few meters away from Kakashi preparing to attack him.
Sakura sighed there was no way she was interfering in this one.
Fool. Not even bothering to hide and then announcing himself so loud and forward; no hidden attacks, no attempts to conceal his presence, Sasuke thought as he watched the blonde loudmouth.
"You know compared to the others you're a little bit… weird" Kakashi said bluntly.
"Oh yeah the only thing weird here is your hair cut" Naruto quipped before charging at the silver haired man. Suddenly he jumped back when he saw Kakashi reaching for his ninja pouch and pulling out something.
"Shinobi battle techniques, part one. Taijutsu, the physical art" Kakashi called out loudly.
Taijutsu, that's hand to hand combat. Why is Kakashi-sensei using a weapon? Sakura thought. Naruto seemed to be thinking the same as he stopped running at his teacher and watched him pull out….
"A book? WHAT THE HELL?" Naruto yelled.
Kakashi opened and began reading his favourite book; Icha Icha Paradise. "What are you waiting for, make your move" he spoke calmly.
"B-but why are you reading that book?" Naruto asked completely perplexed.
"Why? To find out what happens in the story of course. Don't let it bother you, with your weak attacks it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or whatever" Kakashi replied.
Naruto's face twisted in anger as he charged. "I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!" he yelled as he threw a punch to Kakashi's face which was effortlessly blocked, he then tried a kick which the Jounin simply ducked to avoid, never taking his eyes off his book.
"Now you're mine!" Naruto charged again at Kakashi squatting form but his fist hit nothing.
Kakashi was behind him. "Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time" he instructed.
Sakura noticed Kakashi had positioned his hands in a hand sign to focus his chakra. It looked like the sign of the tiger, if it was Naruto would be blown to smithereens.
That hand sign is for a fire jutsu, he's not just toying with Naruto. He's going to demolish him Sasuke thought. Sakura meanwhile was deliberating on whether to warn Naruto, what if she was wrong about the hand sign? Then she'd look like a complete fool and give away her hiding spot.
"Wait a second, that's not a hand sign at all. He looks like he's just going to…" she muttered as Kakashi simply poked Naruto without the use of chakra and sent him flying into the river.
"Phew that was a close one! I could have totally blown my cover and embarrassed myself" Inner Sakura said wiping sweat from her forehead. Kakashi simply resumed reading his book.
That must be against the rules. He's a Jounin we can't possibly match his strength! Sakura thought as she watched her sensei carefully.
Suddenly two shuriken were launched from the water straight at Kakashi. Sakura had to give Naruto credit; he wasn't going down without a fight but Kakashi simply caught the shuriken with two fingers.
Naruto emerged from the water coughing and spluttering as he climbed up the embankment.
"What are you doing now? You know you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon" Kakashi warned.
"I know I know you told us already!" Naruto said impatiently.
"You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage" Kakashi taunted.
Sakura's stomach growled and Inner Sakura was having a fit. "Of course he's wobbly. None of us can fight with our usual stamina BECAUSE WE'RE ALL DYING OF STARVATION!"
Sakura clenched her fists in anger, she was sure not one of the other teams had to go through this stupidity.
"You told us not to eat breakfast! HOW CAN I FIGHT WHEN I'M STARVING TO DEATH?" Naruto yelled. Kakashi started walking away from the soaking wet boy.
"So you caught me off guard that's all it was believe it!" Naruto yelled victoriously, Sakura saw him clutching at his stomach and knew he wouldn't have much strength left.
It was almost like magic, Sakura watched as six Naruto clones launched themselves right out of the water and headed straight for Kakashi.
"Ha ha! You're over confident sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack my best jutsu!" Naruto yelled out.
"Naruto clones? And they aren't images either, they're real. How could he do that?" Sakura wondered in astonishment.
The Naruto clones charged full tilt at Kakashi.
"Nice try Naruto, but you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu" The silver haired man and prepared himself.
It only took a split second, a large thump and the jingling of the bells before Sakura could fully see exactly what Naruto had done.
He had one of his clones come out of the river then he snuck up behind Kakashi-sensei super quietly before grabbing him from behind, Sakura thought as she watched all the clones hold Kakashi down while the real Naruto launched into the air ready to punch their sensei.
"A diversionary tactic, nice" Sasuke said, perhaps Naruto wasn't such an idiot after all.
It happened so fast, one minute Naruto was holding Kakashi-sensei and the next minute he was holding himself.
"Naruto didn't punch Kakashi, he punched himself!" Sakura observed as she watched the Naruto clone that was hit fall to the ground. The real Naruto looked at his bruised clone before realising something.
"It's you…YOU'RE KAKASHI-SENSEI AREN'T YOU! YOU TRANSFORMED INTO ME USING A JUTSU!" Naruto exclaimed loudly pointing at the hit clone.
A fight broke out between all the shadow clones and Naruto as they beat each other up trying to decide which one was Kakashi. Realising it was getting him nowhere the blonde boy undid the jutsu and found himself standing all alone.
"He got him with a replacement jutsu. With this jutsu you quickly switch your own body with an object, so your enemy thinks he's attacking you when he's actually attacking a log or a rock; leaving him open to a counter attack. In this case Kakashi let himself get caught, then switched bodies with one of the Naruto clones so Naruto thought he was nailing him but actually he was just attacking himself; that Jounin was so smooth he made Naruto look like a total moron" Sasuke said, shaking his head at Naruto.
Sakura felt sympathy for Naruto who was now staring intently at the ground.
"A bell!" Naruto yelled and Sakura looked up, had Naruto really found a bell? "I must have got to him with my attack! He dropped a bell!" he exclaimed proudly.
Sakura knew it was a trap and was about to warn Naruto but it was too late, Naruto reached for the bell but before he could even touch it a rope shot out of nowhere and grabbed him by the ankles hoisting him up against the tree upside down.
"HEY! HEY! LET ME DOWN! WHAT IS THIS? AHHHH" Naruto screamed as he bounced around trying to free himself.
"Of course it was a trap" Sasuke sighed. Naruto continued to yell and scream. "That Jounin doesn't let down his guard, even when he's fighting a fool like Naruto"
Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and picked up the bell, Naruto made a desperate grab for it but no avail.
"Think before you use a jutsu or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh and also, if the bait is obvious don't take it. A ninja must see through deception" Kakashi said finishing his lecture.
"I get it!" Naruto said waving his arms around like a crazy person.
"I'm telling you this because you don't get it; you think you get it which is not the same as actually getting it" Kakashi said completely oblivious to the flying shuriken launched in his direction courtesy of Sasuke.
"He hit him, Sasuke actually hit him!" Sakura gasped in surprise as the shuriken connected with its target.
"AH! HE JUST GOT BLASTED WITH SHURIKEN! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND SASUKE, YOU WENT TOO FAR" Naruto screeched.
Suddenly there was a poof and a cloud of white smoke, in place of Kakashi was a log with all of Sasuke's shuriken in it.
Sakura heard Sasuke leave his branch and go speeding off into the forest. I have to go after Sasuke-kun, Sakura thought and turned to leave but something stopped her.
"By the way, the secret to the bell test is teamwork"
"Of course it's so obvious!" Sakura yelled out loud. "Individually each of us doesn't stand a chance against Kakashi but together we just might be able to get those bells!"
She stood up and dusted herself off, there was no point going after Sasuke she'd be less than useless to him plus he had Kakashi tailing him. Naruto on the other hand was still tied up and in need of assistance.
"SENSEI! WHERE'D YOU GO LET ME DOWN" He yelled obnoxiously.
Suddenly a kunai came whizzing through the air and cut the rope sending Naruto falling to the ground. Sakura, after sensing Kakashi-sensei was nowhere near, quickly ran to free Naruto from the rope binding his ankles together.
"Sakura-chan! Thanks for freeing me, where's Sasuke and that stupid old man?" Naruto asked. Sakura shrugged indifferently as she finished cutting the rope from around his ankles.
"Listen the only way we can pass this test is if we work as a team, by ourselves we don't stand a chance against Kakashi and his Jounin level techniques. But together if we can divert is attention long enough one of us can grab the bells" she explained.
Naruto stood up and gave a cheeky grin. "Sounds like a plan believe it! We'll work together and beat that cocky Jounin at his own game"
Sakura smiled, convincing Naruto wasn't hard but Sasuke was another issue altogether.
"Let's go then. We're going to need Sasuke's help if this is going to work" With that Sakura led Naruto into the forest.
"How'd I fall for such a basic ninjutsu technique? Now I'm trapped up to my head in dirt!" Sasuke thought angrily as he struggled in vain to get himself free.
He had no idea where Sakura was and Naruto the loser was probably still tied to that tree. So Sasuke didn't know how to react when his two teammates flew out of the forest and stood in front of him with mixed expressions of amusement and concern.
"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU? WHO'S THE LOSER NOW SASUKE?" Naruto yelled pointing his finger.
Sakura twitched and hit Naruto over the head. "Quiet down idiot! Do you want Kakashi to hear us?" she hissed at the blonde boy before looking at Sasuke.
"How much room do you have to move?" Sakura asked an idea forming.
Sasuke attempted to stretch his limbs. "About a centimetre"
"I wonder…" She trailed off before looking at her hands; if she could transfer chakra to heal a person then maybe she could use it as a forceful weapon.
Chakra was typically focused and concentrated to perform a jutsu. Maybe if she combined a combat style taijutsu punch with a concentration of chakra she could free Sasuke or at least give him some more room to gather his chakra and get himself out.
"What exactly are you planning to do? After all there's not much you can do" Sasuke said belittling the pink haired teen. Sakura brushed it off and started to focus her chakra.
"This may work and then again it may not, I might break the earth completely or I could give you some more room to move and get yourself out okay. Stand back Naruto" Sakura instructed and Sasuke simply nodded, after all what choice did he have?
When she felt she had enough chakra in her fist Sakura raised her arm and struck the ground. "CHA!" she yelled as her fist collided with the earth.
At first nothing happened, Sasuke shot her his infamous Uchiha glare and Naruto began twisting his head in all directions, paranoid that Kakashi would spring them any second. Sakura felt the heat pool to her cheeks under Sasuke's intense glare; she'd managed to look like a weak loser again.
Then the earth began to rumble, not very loudly but it was audible. A crack a meter long began to stretch from where Sakura was standing all the way down to Sasuke's head where it split off and divided leaving a hole in the earth wide enough for Sasuke to get his arms out and then used the remainder of his chakra to push himself up and out.
"Wow Sakura where'd you learn to do that?" Naruto asked.
Sakura felt her head spinning and knew she used too much chakra, even more than she used to heal Hitoshi. Shaking her head she attempted to focus her eyesight and watched as Sasuke dusted himself off before turning to her.
"Hn. Thanks for getting me out I guess" Sasuke said. Sakura smiled and a light coral pink dusted her cheeks.
"Sasuke, Naruto and I need your help to get those bells. Individually we don't stand a chance but together two of us can distract Kakashi while the other takes the bells. I think this is a team exercise, he's trying to test us as a team" she explained.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her request, he was sure working with those two would only slow him down.
"What about the bells, there are only two of them and three of us like you said? Even if we work as a team one of us will still have to go back to the academy" he scrutinized.
Sakura clenched her fists in frustration, of course how could she have forgotten there were only three bells… Unless.
"Well uh, I think that the bells are simply being used to pit us against each other. The bells themselves don't have any value whatsoever, they're merely a tool to disguise the real objective of this task which is ultimately teamwork" Sakura said, Naruto nodded and both watched the Uchiha for his final verdict.
"Are you sure about this? I can't take a chance on a whim or a maybe" Sasuke asked fixing her with a heavy gaze.
Sakura looked up meeting his eyes, her own eyes burned with determination. "All of us working together is the only way to do this, but since you're so sceptical I'll make you a deal. If it turns out I'm wrong and even after we get the bells, if one of us has to go back to the academy then it'll be me"
Whoa. She must really believe this will work, Naruto thought. Sasuke looked at her before nodding his head and smirking. "What's the plan?"
Kakashi had returned to the middle of the training field to find someone had cut Naruto down. "Hmm perhaps they're finally starting to understand" he said as he resumed reading his book.
"Ohayou sensei"
Kakashi looked up to see the only female on the squad standing a few meters away from him. "Sakura… this is unexpected. How exactly do you plan to get a bell from me?"
Sakura simply smirked. "I don't sensei… but we do"
Suddenly Kakashi was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto clones. "I'm going to get you back for tying me to that tree! Believe it!" they yelled. All the clones charge and Kakashi was overwhelmed trying to block each and every single attack.
Sakura then transformed herself into a Naruto clone, before sneaking in and trying to get the bells hanging from Kakashi's waist. Sakura dodged and weaved through the clones before finally reaching her sensei. As if on cue a whole bunch of Naruto clones charged at Kakashi from the left hand side distracting him and giving Sakura time to grab the bells. However Kakashi had seen her and was about to aim a kick when one of the clones blocked it.
"Hn. No way sensei" The clone spoke in Sasuke's voice and Kakashi faltered. In that split second it was over.
Sakura snagged the bells. There was a huge poof and one by one all the Naruto clones disappeared, Sasuke and Sakura transformed back to themselves and stood in front of Kakashi. Naruto wore a huge grin on his face as he too came to stand beside his teammates.
"Well, you're the first squad ever to actually get the bells, and the first squad to understand the meaning behind the exercise. Teamwork… So that means you've all passed" Kakashi said, happily surprised.
"I PASSED, WE PASSED BELIEVE IT BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled as loud as he could before jumping around and hugging Sakura really hard.
"Idiot she can't breathe" Sasuke said angrily as Sakura gasped for air. Naruto apologized profusely but Sakura simply shook it off, things had turned out well.
"Yes, yes all of you except one person pass! Now Sakura since you're holding the bells, you decide who you want to take with you and who goes back to the academy" Kakashi said cheerfully.
Sakura felt all the blood drain from her face, Sasuke glared angrily and Naruto looked about ready to scream his head off. "W-what? I thought you said we passed" Sakura spoke shakily.
Kakashi simply shook his head. "Yes you passed in the fact that you can work well as a team but there are still two bells which means one of you has to go"
Sakura looked at the two bells in her hand before looking at the two boys in front of her.
"YES CHOOSE SASUKE- THEN YOU'LL HAVE HIM EXCLUSIVELY AND INO-PIG WILL BE SO JEALOUS" Inner Sakura screamed. Sakura shook her head she'd already made a promise.
"Sasuke, Naruto"
Sasuke looked at his female teammate. A small part of him felt sympathy for her having the make the decision but another part of him was demanding she keep the promise she made. Naruto sighed in defeat. He knew in a contest between he and Sasuke, he'd be going back to the academy. People never keep their promises, he thought.
Sakura however had made up her mind and dropped a bell into each of her teammate's hands as Kakashi watched the interaction carefully.
"Sakura-chan! No, now you'll have to go back to the academy" Naruto said sadly.
Sakura smiled, she was going to miss his outbursts of obviousness. "Yeah I know but I promised you both that if one of us had to go back it'd be me. Don't worry I'll be fine" she said trying to reassure herself and Naruto.
"I guess I'll see you guys around" she commented before turning away and walking back towards the entrance to the training grounds.
"No, you're not going anywhere" The Uchiha boy spoke up much to his shock and Sakura's.
"Forget it Sasuke, I'm going back to the academy. We had a deal remember?" Sakura reminded him.
"Tch. We're a team we need to act like one. If you go back then we all go back" Sasuke said, handing his bell to Kakashi.
"Yeah believe it! It's all of us or none of us!" Naruto yelled and did the same as Sasuke.
"One for all and all for one that's the best you've got?" Kakashi asked. Sakura looked downtrodden but Sasuke and Naruto stood firm glaring at the silver haired man.
"Well then you pass" He announced again, smiling underneath his mask.
Naruto growled angrily "WHAT? ONE MINUTE WE PASS AND THE NEXT WE FAIL! PICK ONE ALREADY!"
"You all pass, no one has to go back to the academy" Kakashi explained.
"Well then why did you tell Sakura she had to go back? What did we do differently to make us pass?" Sasuke asked monotone.
"I had to make sure you and Naruto had the right attitudes. Sakura convinced both of you to work together and showed incredible selflessness but I wanted to make sure you'd do the same for her in return. Your show of solidarity just then confirmed it" Kakashi spoke.
Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Naruto began his victory dance and Sasuke appeared satisfied.
"Someone once gave me some valuable advice; those who forsake their teammates are worse than scum, never forget that" The silver haired Jounin said. The serious moment was suddenly interrupted by the growl of Naruto's stomach.
"Oh right, let's have that lunch"
"Sensei, I was wondering if I could introduce myself again." Sakura asked.
Naruto momentarily stopped stuffing his face with ramen and looked at his female teammate. Sasuke also looked up from his food.
"Why would you want to do that?" Kakashi replied.
"Well… I don't think I gave a very good introduction and I'd just like to try again" Sakura explained.
"Go ahead then" Kakashi said. The male members of squad seven stopped eating and turned their attention to their teammate.
"My name is Sakura Haruno I like to spar with my parents, eat dango, read and help people. I don't like people who are rude and arrogant. I don't really have any hobbies. And my dream is to become a respected medical ninja so that people won't treat me like I'm weak and useless"