This chapter annoyed me so I did it over again. There are new scenes to replace some old ones.

Sakura tightened the forehead protector on her shoulder with one hand and her teeth. The floor-length mirror in her room gave her a charitable view. A tingle of pride ran through her chest as she pushed out the collar of the soft yellow, cropped jacket - it had recently come from the tailor. The plain brown dress that she wore underneath kissed her kneecaps. The outfit wasn't distinctive, and Sakura was glad for that. She didn't want to attract attention or spend time on her appearance. Even looking at the mirror was a waste of time, but the forehead protector had been a valid excuse.

Her room was a bit of a mess now. She'd thrown all her brush sets, inks and paints into one corner, so that she could adequately dispose of them soon. Keep telling yourself that, that wretched inner part of her spoke.

No, she would dispose of them. She didn't have time for frivolous hobbies now that she was a ninja.

She set down the stairs, calling out, "I'm heading off now, mom."

"Did you do breakfast?" her mother demanded from the foyer.

"I had a heavy dinner last night." She reached the front door, a blessing that it was adjacent to their stairway.

Her mom whisked her back and stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth. "Where are you gonna get your energy for difficult ninja things?"

"Thamfs mom," she mumbled through the toast.

Mebuki put her hands on her hips, "Also, I heard from your father that you refused to have the Haruno symbol imprinted on the back of your jacket. What's that all about?"

What have you given me to be so proud of? Inner Sakura jeered.

She swallowed her last bit of toast, avoiding her mother's eyes, as she weakly defended, "I, I don't want to attract attention, that's all."

"Attract attention?" Her mother's brows knit.

"I'm, I'm gonna be late, mom," she said, jerking open the door and making her escape.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, overcome with shame as she ran to the academy.

.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, yawning as he wandered over to where his mother was kneeling on the carpeted ground.

Kushina hopped up, turning to him and away from - what Naruto could see - a pile of albums betstrewn on the ground. "Look what I found," she said cheerily, flashing a tiny, discloured photograph in his face. "I knew you had one with him when you were five."

Naruto shrunk back, trying to keep his face from contorting into something vile. "Why're you showing me this? You know we don't get along."

"Anymore," she reminded, a twinge of hurt in her voice at his reaction. "Back then you two were joined at the hip."

"I hate him, mom," he said flatly, pivoting his attention to the stacks of albums, partly to escape her incriminatory eyes, partly to keep her from seeing his own frustration. "You shouldn't have gone through all that trouble."

In the corner of his vision, he saw his father appear an armspan from the table - on a spot on the ground flagged with tape - walk over to the kitchen, pull out a sugar bowl, disappear for a few heartbeats and then appear again, repeating the process to return the sugar bowl.

"Anyways," he said to his mom. "I'm going to get ready for school."

"Alright, alright," she said and, before he could make his getaway, grabbed him by the shoulders, directing him presumptously to his baby sister's room. "If you have woken up so early, at least get Aka ready for breakfast."

"Mom… " he groaned in protest.

.

Sakura was one of the first ones to arrive. Of the few students present, Hinata Hyuuga sat on a desk in the back. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and the forehead protector rested at the back of her exposed neck. Sakura stared at her, an unease settling in her stomach as she was reminded of her words a few days ago.

Why does someone like you want to be a ninja?

It had caught her totally off-guard. She'd gone on the defensive, trying to prove to her that anyone was worthy of becoming a ninja. She had stuttered a lot, and she hadn't waited for a reply before walking off.

Just who does she think she is? Inner Sakura said, an unusually humane comment from her.

Without warning, Hinata looked over and their eyes met. Sakura froze, unsure how to react naturally. Hinata smiled at her though.

She tore off and briskly found herself a window seat. While Sakura was preparing a notebook - it wasn't customary to have notebooks out at the beginning of class, but she couldn't help herself - someone dragged a chair out at the opposite end of her desk. She looked up to see Naruto making himself home. As usual he was sporting a knock off, jacket-version of the Fourth's hokage cloak (minus the back lettering) over a fishnet shirt and black trousers. To her relief, he didn't even bat an eye towards her.

She went back to her notebook, writing down the date on the corner of the page. She chewed on the rubber end of her pencil while trying to think of something to pass the time with. It was the day after their graduation. Even someone like Naruto shouldn't be in a bad mood today, she decided.

"Um…" she began.

He didn't notice.

Thank goodness. She had no idea what she was supposed to say. 'Congratulations' or something? No. That was risky. I'm glad we both made it? I'm not, would be a curt response. What was something she could say that couldn't be turned into an insult?

I should just keep quiet, she thought. That's the safest option. Or…

She cleared her throat, "H-Hello, Naruto-kun."

A frown was fixed on his face, eyes bouncing around the wall and ceilings in ostentatious boredom. He'd put up his arms around his head as he begun to sway the chair backwards. "Hey."

That was the most positive interaction she'd had with him in… forever. Today must be a blessed day.

The class was full now and buzzing with chatter as students showed off their new headbands. A shiver ran down Sakura's spine as she counted more than a few girls giving her envious scowls. But there was no way she was making the arduous journey out of her window seat to find a new one. Besides, none of them had made an attempt to sit by Naruto - since there was an unoccupied seat between them.

She ruffled through the pages of her notebook, praying Iruka would come soon. But not long into her trance, she was disrupted by a repetitive vibration. She pressed her palms on the desk.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap…

Sakura ducked to snatch a view under the desk and realized that Naruto's foot was drumming against its leg. She adjusted herself back onto her seat as surreptitiously as possibly.

Was he anxious? No. That was stupid. What did he have to be anxious about? It was likely excitement or pent-up energy. He was obviously bored with waiting.

Still, observing him as indirectly as she could, she could see Naruto's chin resting in the pit of his palm, teeth subconsciously tugging at his lower lip. His eyes kept a linear trajectory between the clock and his desk.

For no identifiable reason at all, Sakura had the feeling that she wasn't the only one watching him. The absurdity of her feeling became more pronounced when she scoped the classroom to find that literally no one was watching. Every student was either busy in conversation, had their head down and encircled by their arms or were staring vacantly out the windows.

Sakura fingered her bangs. If it was self-consciousness he was feeling, it appeared to be rubbing off on her as well.

Suddenly the door burst open to a panting Sasuke, his bookbag still slung around his arm and sweat glistening on his neck.

Everything she'd noted in his demeanour changed so drastically that it left her baffled. The supposed pressure melted and was replaced by a torrent of amusement as the whole of Naruto's attention narrowed onto one student.

He threw his head back in a brightly customary greeting, "Aw, did the Uchiha clan's favourite disappointment sleep in today?"

Sasuke ignored the comment, glancing around the classroom for a seat.

Naruto realized it first. His face broke into a grin.

Sakura cursed herself inwardly for jinxing it as she realized what was about to happen.

A mask of pure, unbridled misery passed over Sasuke's face.

At this point, there was only one other seat left. The one between Naruto and Sakura.

.

The entire class's attention wavered between the two. That was on purpose of course. The jerk liked to make a show of everything.

Damn this, Sasuke thought. He mentally squared up his shoulders.

Rule #1 (Do not let yourself become a target) had already been broken. Rule #2: (Do not engage with the trash) was intact.

Chin up, Sasuke strode to the desk, but Naruto tipped his chair all the way back, stretching out his arms.

"Move."

"C'mon, at least offer an excuse. What was it, did you need your beauty nap? Or were you compensating for crying yourself to sleep last night?"

Sasuke chuckled, "You insults are so pathetic, it's funny."

Rule #2 was now broken.

"It's a wonder that they let such a loser become a ninja."

"It's a wonder that they let such an arrogant prick become a ninja - oh wait, it's not. Your father's the hokage."

Naruto's grin became substantially smaller.

Rule #2's grave was being trampled. Trash was being consistently engaged with. Maintaining Rule #3 was now his priority: Do not fall for an obvious trap.

"I'm riding the coattails of my father, aren't I, Sasuke-kun?" Naruto said impassively, but for whatever reason, let his chair fall back down so Sasuke could cross.

It was an act of course.

Underneath his breath, so soft so only Sasuke could hear it in passing, Naruto added, "It's a lot better than groveling to my father for a smidge of the attention ni-sa-"

Sasuke snapped.

One moment, he was facing the window in the space between two desks. The next, Naruto was hoisted up from his seat by his collar. The clench from Sasuke's fist threatening to tear his clothes. "The hell did you say?" Sasuke forced out through gritted teeth.

This bastard, only this bastard, could smile in response. "Why'd you cut me off?"

His chest was heaving from fury. The whitened knuckles on Sasuke's free hand shivered with unreleased energy. He wanted, for a moment, that Naruto lose the ability to make that face.

The class watched with bated breath. "Punch him!" Shikamaru shouted from the back, having woken up from a nap to see the exchange. The class seemed to agree too, although no one put it like that.

Naruto was maddeningly undisturbed by the prospect of being bashed. If anything, his face goaded: do it.

From behind him, a quavering voice cried, "Don't do it, Sasuke-kun! He's doing it on pur-"

"Who the hell asked you?" Sasuke snarled at her, for the first time registering her presence flattened against the wall.

At the same time, Naruto said, "Shut up, Sakura."

But the distraction brought him to his senses. He could hear a teacher's footsteps reaching the door. Naruto's timing had been perfect. As much as he wanted to destroy him, the thought of news that Sasuke had incited a fight (because of course he must have been the one to start it) reaching his parents held him back.

With all the patience he could conjure, he thrust Naruto back, who landed ungracefully on his seat.

.

Iruka entered just as Sasuke decided to let Naruto go. Sasuke picked up his own chair, avoiding eye contact with Sakura in the process. She followed his actions.

Iruka had begun speaking, but Sakura was shaken enough that she could barely hear him, much less make notes. Her hands trembled as she reached for her pencil. When it finally registered that it had rolled off the desk in all the commotion, Sakura decided to leave it be.

Worthless. Pathetic. Idiotic. Never in your life have you used the thing sitting in that giant forehead of yours, have you? Inner Sakura was having a blast.

She was so right. Why did she try to interfere? She usually let it be. It wasn't her problem if Sasuke delivered his punch as soon as Iruka stepped into the classroom.

I hate these two, Sakura thought, pressing her fingers to her temples. I hate them so much.

They were the absolute worst in the class. They were the loudest. They fought all the time. Naruto was a bully. Only Sasuke matched his desire for conflict. They both terrified her.

"... into four-man teams."

She blinked back to reality.

"Teams? For what?" Naruto demanded.

"It's conventional to be on a four-man team when you start out as ninjas. You train under a jonin and can go on missions. If you want to survive and get stronger Naruto, you need to depend on others."

"Yeah right."

Iruka began listing out the names of teams. A dread crept up in Sakura. She tried to calculate who would make a good team member. Eventually, she realized she was selecting only people who had been nice to her. One thing she knew for certain though.

Sakura would kill herself if she ended up with one of these two on her team.

Team 7 was announced.

Kill yourself now, Inner Sakura said.