Sakura glared at Toneri for starting an argument "I just don't think it's wise to interfere with shinobi matters, surely there was someone else who could have taken their place on the team rather than asking you a literal stranger" Toneri grumbled, after having already been snapped at twice.
"Either way Toneri, even if that is true, I'm taking it like the opportunity it is in order to learn more to bring back to the village" Sakura snapped a third time, quite fed up with his attitude at this point as the little pinkette proceeded to storm out of their apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.
Which was indicative of her wanting to be alone for a while to calm down "Honestly why must you upset her so" Yomo growled at the teenager, staring at the door pitifully since Sakura had forgotten him in her hurry to get away from the cause of her irritation, before heading for her bedroom.
Leaving Toneri to sit at the table in silence for an hour until he realized Sakura wasn't coming back any time soon "Damn it" he finally cursed, not having meant to upset the girl like this and now he had to go find her and apologize, at least she would forgive him relatively easy after he did.
Hearing movement Yomo padded out of Sakura's room and leaped up to curl around Toneri's shoulders "I'm going to" Yomo sniffed, Toneri shrugged, adjusting to the weight of the growing fox upon his person and headed out to find his companion to express his apologies in upsetting her.
Unfortunately, it seemed this time Sakura was actively avoiding him as he couldn't even sense her chakra and he had no idea where she'd go in the village since they'd only been there a few days at this point "Great, just great" Toneri scowled.
Pissed at himself more than anything, not even realizing yet that he actually cared about the girl "Did you lose someone" the man named Jiraiya showed up at his side half an hour into his search for Sakura with still no sign of the rosette to his frustration.
Closed eyes turned in his direction "If you know where Sakura is, please don't beat around the bush, I know she's angry with me and I need to apologize, so just tell me" Toneri requested as politely as he could, rather than make demands, it would only get him in deeper trouble with Sakura if he was rude.
Jiraiya chuckled inwardly "Follow me I'll take you to her" the Toad Sage informed, leading the way to a secluded training ground, they were his favorite because no one could sense you while you were there allowing you to train without being detected by anyone else.
And there in the center was Sakura as Toneri was finally able to sense her, though she was turned firmly away from him clearly still upset and he was sorely tempted to murder someone just to relieve his stress "Sakura...you know how I am, I'm simply worried, I know your right and I'm sorry" Toneri apologized.
Feeling more genuine than expected as he hoped to gain her forgiveness "You'll support me then" Sakura finally, finally turned his way, as she asked that in a hesitant tone, even if she knew how he felt, this really was a good learning opportunity, and she didn't want to waste it.
"Yes, I'll support you, it is only for a short time after all, so I guess I can live with it" Toneri sighed, just glad that this fight had an end in sight as Sakura forgave him by promptly rushing over and trying to hug the life out of him until he picked Yomo up by the scruff and shoved the fox into her arms to stop her from hugging him any longer.
Obviously not the hugging type but tolerating the physical affection for Sakura's sake "Oh right you were going to teach me how to learn what my elements were right Jiraiya-sama" Sakura exclaimed in remembrance before Jiraiya could disappear on her.
"I sure did Sakura-hime, this is chakra sensing paper, you just focus chakra into it and then it will either get wet for water nature, crinkle for lightning nature, rip for wind nature, crumble for earth nature or burn for fire nature" Jiraiya nodded, pulling out one of their handy ninja tools.
And giving it to the pinkette, he wondered would she have her father's fire and lightning nature chakra, or would her natures be different because of her mother "Just focus chakra into it right" Sakura asked just to be sure, and he nodded, then a moment later the paper got wet then crinkled.
Indicating she had both water and lightning natures, a deadly combination for sure "Hmm not bad I suppose" Toneri commented, surprised "Though who is going to teach her how to use her natures, I can't as you can see, and this is Sakura's job to learn as next leader of her clan" he explained.
Not interested to be honest but trying for Sakura "Well I can teach you some water jutsu, but not lightning jutsu, I'll find someone though that can help you with that" Jiraiya admitted, promising inwardly to do his best as he taught Sakura the hand signs for the raging waves jutsu.
Who practiced the hand signs for a while to become more familiar with the strange actions before attempting her first elemental jutsu "Suiton: Raging Waves" water spewed from her mouth weakly, meaning she hadn't added much chakra to her jutsu.
Toneri snorted "Got to add more chakra than that if you want it to be successful Sakura" he teased, right back to his usual antics, Jiraiya looked surprised when Sakura sneered at her companion then as if trying to spite him, made her second attempt which was much better in his honest opinion.
"Nice work, see as long as you don't hesitate, you'll do great, I know you Sakura, you have raw natural talent, but when encountering new things, you tend to hesitate which screws you up" Toneri nodded, sensing her irritation vanish in thin air.
Just before she tried to hug him again and he tolerated it for a minute before reminding her that she should get back to practicing "I tried asking her but she wouldn't tell me, so would you mind telling me how you two met" Jiraiya prodded suddenly, when the girl was focused completely on the task at hand.
Closed eyes turned his way a second time that day "A minor mishap on my part had me falling into the camp she'd erected for herself on the first night of her journey, I decided it would be worth it to have a companion until I can figure out how to get back home" Toneri explained.
Leaving out a lot of details, such as where he lived, not something anyone needed to know, including Sakura, he was just glad she hadn't asked, he might be tempted to tell her actually which didn't say much for his resistance towards the girl if he was being honest.
"Does that mean you live across the ocean like she does as well" Jiraiya prodded, and got a nod, Toneri figured it would be better that way to avoid any uncomfortable questions "I'm grateful to you, I can't imagine how she'd be faring if you weren't with her" the Sannin commented.
Glad that Kizashi's daughter had someone she could rely on, even if they did argue, it appeared Toneri knew when to apologize at least if he upset her in some way "I'm sure she would have been fine, Sakura is surprisingly cautious something I'm sure your already aware of" Toneri scoffed.
"Yeah, she's nothing like Kizashi was, I thought his daughter would be openly friendly with everyone she met, but that's not the case" Jiraiya nodded after briefly eyeing the rosette in question, she recoiled from others he'd noticed especially if she didn't know them.
Her companion shook his head "Most likely it's due to growing up with no friends in that village of hers, according to Sakura, books were her friends" Toneri explained, it was the only answer he could give that would explain the girl's reticence.
"Really, she had no friends, Kizashi would constantly talk about the friends he left behind and couldn't wait to see again upon his return" Jiraiya frowned, realizing Sakura was truly different than her father "That's a true shame" he said after a few minutes.
Teaching Sakura a second water jutsu when her attention with the first one drifted and there they stayed on the training field for the rest of the morning "Well we're going back to the apartment Jiraiya-sama, later" Sakura waved, getting tired of training for the time being.
At this Yomo jumped up to curl around her shoulders, Jiraiya nodded and in a puff of smoke he was gone "Lunch and then what else do you have planned for today" Toneri remarked, following the pinkette as she led the way to their apartment.
"Hm, I was thinking of maybe scouting out one of the guys on the list, I won't approach them yet, just observe I guess" Sakura hummed, not sounding to excited about the idea if he was being honest and something in his chest twisted uncomfortably at the idea of her choosing one of these idiots.
Which caused him to remain silent for the rest of their walk home and halfway through the afternoon meal until she asked him a question "Perhaps" Toneri shrugged, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong before engaging in light conversation with Sakura.
Only because he didn't want her upset with him again for seemingly ignoring her, girls were so sensitive, "You coming or staying" Sakura inquired upon finishing lunch and leaving the dishes for later because she didn't feel like doing them right now.
"I'll stay, I have no desire to hear you sigh over boys like a lovesick girl" Toneri scoffed in disgust, earning a glare before the rosette exited the apartment, leaving him alone with just himself as he realized that Yomo had gone with his summoner this time.
2 hours later he was beginning to regret letting her go alone when the door opened, and she shuffled in carrying a few bags "Sorry, I got a few more groceries while I was out, that's what took so long" Sakura apologized, setting her things down carefully on the table.
"Do you need help putting them away and how did your scouting go" Toneri inquired, curious to know if she'd taken a fancy to the one, she'd observed, Sakura smiled and proceeded to try and talk his ears off before ending with tell him that she had no interest in the guy at all.
Surprisingly at the confession the tightness in his chest suddenly faded to his relief "Good, he probably wouldn't have deserved you anyway" he snorted, doing his best to help put their groceries away, he didn't want to be accused of not pulling his weight to help after all.
Just as they were settling down to relax a bit before dinner, there was a knock on the door and Sakura jumped up to answer it "Yo I heard that you'll be joining my team for the Chunin Exams" it was Kakashi once she'd opened the door, obviously having heard from the Hokage about that tidbit.
"Yes, and don't worry I'll make sure I'm appropriately prepared Kakashi-san" Sakura informed, gesturing for him to come in, Toneri bit back the sarcastic remark he wanted to say as the man took a seat in Sakura's vacated seat to her slight irritation, before sitting next to him.
Clearly still uncomfortable around Kakashi and without thinking about it he curled a loose arm around her shoulders, and she relaxed against him in response "Of course I'm sure your able to properly prepare yourself, however that's not how things work in a village Sakura-chan" Kakashi said.
Prompting the girl to frown while he was sure Toneri would be glaring at him as the teenager tensed "Need I remind you, she is just an addition to your team for the duration of this exam, not an actual member, Sakura need not involve herself further than that, the Hokage said so himself" Toneri snapped unable to hold his tongue.
Kakashi took a deep breath "Regardless, the Chunin Exams are for at least the first two parts focused entirely on teamwork, no missions, just teamwork training with Naruto and Sasuke" the Copy-ninja explained, planning to take these next few months to convince Sakura to leave Toneri.
Something about the teenager just didn't sit right with him and he was hoping time away from him would make Sakura see that to "Kakashi-san is right, however don't think you can dictate my schedule, my mornings are already figured out, that's when I practice my jutsu's and other things" Sakura announced.
Making it clear that she wouldn't be ordered about "Very well, how about in the afternoon, a couple hours before dinner we can practice your teamwork with the others and the rest of the day is yours to do with as you will" Kakashi relented.
Not happy that two hours was all he could manage, perhaps after a week or so, she'd want to put more effort into it and spend more hours away from Toneri "Okay see you tomorrow at 3, where do I meet you" Sakura agreed, glad that it was just a couple hours.
Kakashi shook his head "I'll come get you" he stated then in a puff of smoke was gone, leaving Sakura and Toneri alone again as the teenager finally let his arm drop from around her shoulders as she stood and sat down in her claimed chair.
"He really doesn't like me it seems, you do realize he was pushing for more than just two hours right" Toneri remarked after a few minutes of silence had gone by and Sakura was contemplating starting on dinner, her gaze focused on him at that.
Before tilting her head in consideration "Mhm I know Toneri, but like hell was I going to mess up my schedule for him, and yeah, I sensed that to, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't because you're stuck with me until the end of my journey" Sakura reminded.
And he'd be rolling his eyes if he could "Unfortunately" Toneri scoffed, not as opposed as he used to be about the idea of sticking with the girl, she was proving to be quite the companion as Sakura finally stood and moved into their little kitchen to make supper.
Then afterwards he cleaned up while she read aloud for a few hours from one of her various books until deciding it was time for bed "Goodnight Toneri" Sakura yawned softly at him as she headed for the bedroom she'd chosen, her fox on her heels.
"Goodnight Sakura" Toneri said, deciding to sit up for an hour longer since he wasn't quite as tired as the rosette eventually the silence got to him, and he did go to sleep for the night only to wake earlier than usual to make breakfast, it took some work, but he thought he did a pretty good job.
When Sakura shuffled in, stomach rumbling in hunger "Thanks Toneri" Sakura hummed quietly, enjoying the peaceful morning as opposed to yesterday's argument, Toneri grunted, still not much of a morning person, but set a plate before her anyway.
"Do you have a plan for today, other than the so-called teamwork training that I'm sure is completely unnecessary" Toneri grumbled, still not happy about that apparently, but trying not to upset Sakura to the point she flew off in a rage again.
Jade orbs focused on him "Jutsu training, then I might spend an hour or so in the library studying, I have no idea what the exam is going to be like after all or what I'll have to do, I know Kakashi-san said the first two tests are geared towards teamwork but I have no idea how" Sakura frowned.
Earning an understanding shrug this time "A little research would prove that you're more than prepared for anything that comes your way" Toneri commented, hardly able to wait until Sakura showed up everyone else, she really was quite talented.
"Right then that's what I'll do" Sakura smiled, decided on what she'd do for the day as she cleaned up and made bento boxes for lunch before the two of them headed out for the day to the training field Jiraiya had showed her yesterday when she had wanted to be alone.
On the field already waiting for them was Jiraiya and one another "Hello there Sakura-hime...Toneri-san, this is Might Gai, he's the person I mentioned with lightning nature, he can teach you a bit about it if you want today, though he only has a couple hours before he has to be with his team" Jiraiya explained.
Introducing the new person to Sakura "Hime are you a princess of some sort, behold the glory of youth" Gai as Jiraiya had stated began spouting to Toneri's horror, even Sakura blinked as he gave her a thumbs up and a genjutsu of a sunset popped up behind him that she automatically broke out of without thinking about it.
Before recoiling slightly at the man's exuberance "No, Gai, she's not actually a princess, I just call her that" Jiraiya interjected quickly seeing that the pinkette wasn't exactly enthused about the boisterous attitude of Gai, drawing his attention, allowing Sakura a moment to compose herself.
She took a deep breath coupled with a light pat on the shoulder from Toneri before she was ready "I'd like that very much thank you, to learn how to use my lightning element" Sakura said, trying not to shrink away at the man's intense stare.
And it was hard not to outright run when he began laughing, spouting off once more about youth "Do I have to be here for this" Toneri grimaced, wanting to leave, until the man, Gai, actually began teaching Sakura what she'd requested, before he had to leave an hour and a half later.
Leaving him alone with her because Jiraiya had left an hour ago for some reason "Ugh I can't get it" Sakura complained, frustrated, Gai had given her the bare minimum of what she'd needed, though she appreciated Jiraiya's efforts, it hadn't been enough.
Not that Toneri was surprised, "And he's supposed to be a sensei of genin" he snorted in disgust, wondering how his students even learned anything if that was how the man was "Perhaps you could find a book in the library on what you need" Toneri offered.
When it was obvious no more progress could be made "Maybe" Sakura sighed, switching to practicing with her water nature instead so that way she actually felt like she was doing something instead of being frustrated, clear up to lunch before sitting and pulling out the bento's she'd made.
"Or ask that man, surely since you're his temporary student, he'd be willing to teach you some things" Toneri suggested in a grudging tone, at least this way Sakura was getting something out of the whole situation, and he was certain he'd heard someone mention the man had lightning nature chakra.
The girl perked in response as he joined her, accepting the second bento "I'll do both" Sakura nodded decisively quickly polishing off her food so that they could go to the library, where she sat for two and a half hours, reading quietly aloud for her companions from a book on elemental natures.
Eventually Sakura closed all her books and returned them to their shelves when there was only thirty minutes left until Kakashi showed up "Do you want me to tag-along Sakura" Toneri asked, feeling her beginning to fidget restlessly, obviously uncomfortable.
"Could you Toneri, at least until I'm used to it" Sakura pleaded, latching on to the offer quickly to his amusement, though he did understand her apprehension, even if she and Sasuke were on better terms with one another now, it would be difficult on her own.
He nodded "Whatever you want...and your early I see" Toneri commented, turning his head in the direction he sensed the jonin, who was not happy, having overheard the conversation no doubt, Sakura whipped around in surprise, startled by Kakashi's appearance, even though she'd been expecting him.
"Yes, I thought we could walk so that way Sakura could find her way to the grounds without me having to come and collect her every evening and you aren't needed for the teamwork training, I'm sure Sakura will be just fine for a couple hours" Kakashi informed.
Indicating that he had heard "I'd like Toneri to come, his presence will help me feel more at ease until I'm comfortable" Sakura stated, seeing the dislike Kakashi had for her companion as he glared at Toneri with his one obsidian iris.
After a minute Kakashi relented and allowed Toneri to tag-along like she wanted as they left the house and walked clear across the village to another training field "Now that you know the way, will you be able to find your way tomorrow on your own" Kakashi questioned.
Trying to focus his full attention on Sakura "Of course, I may not look it, but I do have an amazing sense of direction" Sakura nodded seriously, already having memorized the path they'd taken in order to get there, there was no way she could get lost.
"Good and look here come Naruto and Sasuke" Kakashi pointed, Sakura craned her neck around to see the two boys hurrying in their direction, while Toneri got comfortable in a tree, hiding his presence for the most part, but making sure Sakura could still see him.
Halfway to them Naruto tripped over a rock and hit the ground with a loud exclamation of pain "Are you alright Naruto" Sakura asked, helping the blonde onto his feet "Your nose is bleeding" the pinkette said when he tried to wave her away saying that he was okay.
"Look at that, it is bleeding isn't it, sorry Sakura-chan" Naruto apologized to Sakura's confusion as she pulled out a wipe to clean the scrape on his nose and put ointment on it afterwards "Oh wow, what is that stuff, it doesn't hurt anymore you know" the blonde shouted loudly.
Causing the pinkette to wince "You don't have to yell Naruto, I'm right here, but it's handmade ointment from my village, the herbs it's made from have some anesthetic properties to dull pain" Sakura explained stowing her things away in her pouch.
While Naruto poked his nose "Anyway what are you doing here Sakura, I thought you couldn't be a shinobi of any village" Sasuke questioned, less hostile and Naruto definitely noticed, especially when the rosette didn't even get offended the Uchiha was demanding answers from her again.
"For you to find out at a later time Sasuke, Naruto, for now Sakura is just learning, isn't that right, Hokage-sama thought it best we were the ones rather than anyone else" Kakashi informed, intending to keep the fact he'd entered his students into the chunin exams a secret until the last minute.
Sakura nodded when he looked at her, though inwardly she wasn't happy about lying to the boys on either side of her 'Idiot, their already suspicious' Toneri scoffed to himself as the so-called teamwork training began, apparently Kakashi's students weren't too happy with their sensei.
But weren't oblivious to the fact that he was hiding something from them, especially with the training they were going through at the moment and by the end of it, even Sakura had had enough because once Kakashi was gone in a puff of smoke the pinkette growled irately.
"I'm sorry Naruto, Sasuke, but Kakashi-san lied, it's not because I'm simply learning your culture, Hokage-san asked that I take up the spot as your third teammate for the Chunin Exams in exchange he granted me temporary residency in Konoha" Sakura announced.
Glad to get that off her chest "Chunin Exams...the hell is that man thinking, we've barely been genin for six months and he wants to put us through that" Sasuke scowled, knowing what the exam was apparently while Naruto seemed genuinely confused.
Until Sasuke explained properly "Why would Kakashi-sensei lie to us like that then" Naruto frowned, though he was happy that at least Sakura couldn't lie to them about the truth of things "And also I'm glad you're staying for a while" the blonde grinned after a minute.
"Most likely if I had to guess your sensei was probably planning to tell you at the last minute, but now that you know ahead of time you can appropriately ready yourselves" Toneri snorted, joining the pre-teens, though the two boys eyed him warily at his unexpected appearance.
Not Sakura though as she wrapped an arm around his waist for a hug before pulling back "Relax he's been here the whole time you two, but Toneri is right, you should probably study in the library or something or if you know anyone that has taken the exam and is willing to talk about it you should ask them" Sakura said.
"Can we do that together, you know before we meet up for whatever the hell training, he's going to give us" Sasuke requested but Sakura shook her head to his disappointment, clearly not wanting to give up her time in the mornings or afternoons.
But after seeing Naruto and Sasuke slump their shoulders Sakura sighed "You can join me in the library after lunch, and I can cut a couple hours out of my morning schedule, do you know where I live in the village" Sakura informed, deciding that she had to do everything she could to make sure her ~teammates~ were ready for the exam.
Especially if Kakashi wasn't going to take their training seriously "I think my dad said something about an apartment complex near the marketplace" Naruto offered sheepishly proving that he could pay attention to things when he wanted.
"Yeah, meet me there tomorrow morning if you can, at the marketplace, then I'll show our apartment and afterwards the field I train on" Sakura requested, planning to make sure that Naruto and Sasuke were ahead of their classmates by teaching them all she knew as well.
Sasuke and Naruto shared a high-five with one another "Great, see you then Sakura" the Uchiha waved, hurrying off to home and doing as the pinkette suggested by asking his brother, who was in the giving mood thankfully as Itachi explained that there were three parts to the exam, the written, survival and tournament.
With the first two parts being geared towards teamwork, while Naruto couldn't even get a hint from his mother to the blonde's disappointment as he sulked clear through dinner to Kushina's amusement before going to bed early and after breakfast the next day disappeared from the house.
"Did you find out about the exam Sasuke, my Mum wouldn't tell me a thing you know" Naruto huffed when he spotted the Uchiha at the market and rushed up to his teammate, now all that was left was to wait until Sakura showed up and took them to her apartment.
Thankfully the Uchiha nodded "Itachi did, and I'll tell you to... morning" Sasuke grunted when Sakura appeared at his side, and she led the both of them to her apartment, which was nicer than he imagined it would be as she let them inside for a minute.
Of course, though Toneri was there "Okay we're going Toneri, see you later" Sakura informed, indicating that he wouldn't be joining them after the pinkette had grabbed a few things, a scroll for one and a wrapped package to their confusion as the teenager waved the pre-teens off.
"Are you going to tell us what's in the bag" Naruto asked unable to hide his curiosity, and Sakura blinked at him in amusement before answering that it was lunch "Wait you made us lunch, why" the blonde spluttered in surprise, clearly not having expected such kindness.
Fushcia brows furrowed "Because sharing a meal together will deepen our bond and help with our teamwork, plus after the training I'm about to put you two through, you'll be extra hungry I'm sure" Sakura announced, she also wished to genuinely be friends with the two boys.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a nervous look with one another just as they reached their destination, it was an hour earlier than she got there so had time to get the boys started on their elements "I already know mine, it's fire and lightning" Sasuke remarked.
Having been given the test years ago "Could you help me with my lightning nature Sasuke and what about you Naruto" Sakura inquired, glad that one of her ~teammates~ shared at least one of her elements, which would make learning it easier.
"Probably wind, though I don't know for sure" Naruto shrugged, his parents were different that Sasuke's obviously, especially since one of them was the Hokage, while Sakura had no idea who the blonde's mother was, it was a start as she gave him a piece of paper and told him to channel his chakra into it.
Where it predictably ripped "Good, and sure Sakura, though I thought you would have already known about all this" Sasuke commented as they began working on their elemental natures, imagine his surprise when Sakura shook her head in response.
"Nope, the most I was taught was survival stuff, not how to do any ninja things, though I am going to teach you some survival techniques" Sakura explained stretching, unsurprisingly neither Jiraiya or Gai showed up throughout the morning to her relief.
Because she didn't want Kakashi to know she'd technically spilled the beans about the Chunin Exams "Don't forget Sasuke you promised to tell me what you learned about the Chunin Exams" Naruto reminded an hour later after nearly forgetting himself.
"Right Itachi told me it's comprised of 3 tests, a written exam, so we'll probably have to study in the library, a survival round, in which I imagine those techniques will come in handy Sakura and a tournament of sorts where we have to fight one on one matches against other contestants" Sasuke said.
Going into great detail for the blonde's sake "Sasuke's right Naruto, if there's going to be some sort of test that requires teamwork, the questions are probably going to be really hard" Sakura pointed out when the boy moaned and groaned about there being a written exam.
"Just how exactly are we going to be able to use teamwork on a test anyway" Naruto pouted, not understanding in the least, a question Sasuke didn't seem to know the answer to either, while Sakura adopted a contemplative expression in response.
Clearly thinking about the reason "Maybe we'll have to cheat or something and find a way to pass the answers off to our teammates" Sakura offered after a few minutes, getting that feeling that she was right, which would make things a little harder than normal.
"I don't want to even know how you came up with that Sakura, but if your right, we need to find something that will let us trade answers without being caught...what about fuinjutsu, you could ask your mother Naruto" Sasuke whipped his head towards Naruto as the thought came to him.
A grin bloomed across the blonde's face "As long as it's sealing jutsu my mum will help me I'm sure of it this time, but what about the survival test, did Itachi tell you exactly how we're going to have to survive or how long or what the point of it is" Naruto exclaimed.
Not looking forward to studying, but if it got him through the exam to become a Chunin if only to rub it in his sensei's face, he'd do it "No, Itachi didn't tell me that, just said there's a survival round, something to look up when we go the library I guess" Sasuke shook his head to Naruto's disappointment.
"Relax we have plenty of time, there is still a month before the exam, so there's no rush, however you two will have to act like you know nothing in front of Kakashi-san, he obviously didn't want you to know" Sakura warned lightly, getting the feeling that the man would be angry if he found out she'd told Naruto and Sasuke.
It was honestly his own fault, and she didn't feel right hiding the truth in the first place "Right we can do that can't we Sasuke, though if I do slip up, I can just pretend my mum told me since I'm not exactly the best at acting subtle" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he admitted to that fact.
Earning a smile "No matter by the time this month is up, you'll be an expert I'm sure" Sasuke snorted, afterwards they got back to work on practicing with their natures, before Sakura stopped them to have lunch, though they were surprised to find out that Toneri had helped.
"Honestly you two" Sakura rolled her eyes lightly when they eyed her dubiously "Toneri can cook just fine, sometimes the meals are really delicious" the pinkette informed with a snort, being honest, her companion had painstakingly practiced to avoid upsetting her.
Though still slightly dubious the boys ate the handmade bento "Okay to the library and then what" Naruto jumped onto his feet once he was finished, and the empty boxes were wrapped back up, before the three of them trekked across the village to the library.
Where they met Team Ten "Ino-san, Shikamaru-san" Sakura nodded at the two she knew, while eyeing the others in a wary manner, Sasuke grimaced, wondering if her wariness was his fault, though he wasn't happy that Sakura had met two of his classmates.
"Oh, what's this, did Kakashi finally get another student...whoops sorry the names Asuma Sarutobi and the Jonin of Team Ten, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji, though I see you've already met two of my students" Asuma remarked, eyeing the pinkette with Kakashi's students in confusion.
Especially when she shook her head in response "Sakura Haruno and I'm a temporary member on his team, during my temporary residency, once certain tasks are complete, I'll probably be leaving Leaf" Sakura informed, holding out her hand and Asuma shook it lightly in return.
Brows furrowing at her statement "Leaving, whatever for" Choji, who she hadn't exactly been properly introduced to yet spluttered in horror, obviously to those in the village, Konohagakure was the best village one could be in and hearing someone say they would be leaving kind of didn't sit right with him.
"To continue my journey of course, I'm sure I'll be back at some point to visit, but I have a job to do and that involves gaining as much experience as I can" Sakura announced, hoping to end this conversation soon so that they would have time to study as necessary.
Asuma frowned "She's not from around here Asuma-sensei, Sakura-chan came all the way across the ocean, but we have business in the library and we're on a bit of a time constraint to you know" Naruto chimed in, wanting to get this studying bit over with painlessly.
"Sure, sure, have fun you three, come on Ino, Shikamaru, Choji" Asuma nodded, fairly concerned as he led his students off to get another D rank mission, though his kunoichi turned and yelled at Sakura about hanging out sometime and got a wave before the trio disappeared inside the library.
Later on, after the completion of their mission and after dismissing his students Asuma knocked on the door to Minato's office "Let me guess you met Sakura-san, and yes" Minato took one look at Asuma's face and knew in that moment he'd met the little pinkette and even what he was going to say.
"You sure it's wise Hokage-sama, the girl has what been here a total of 3-4 days and you have her as a temporary student on Kakashi's team and you're going to allow her to leave the village with whatever knowledge she learns here" Asuma questioned.
Minato nodded "Yes, for one simple reason, she has a companion, his name is Toneri, I'm assuming you haven't met him yet, but when you do, you'll understand why it's imperative that we make sure Sakura is appropriately trained in order to handle him" the blonde stated.
"Is he dangerous...and we're letting him stay in our village" Asuma asked, fearing for the safety of everyone in the village especially when Minato nodded a second time, he was about to go on, when the blonde Hokage held up a hand to stop him.
"He has a weakness, it's Sakura-san, I can attest to this fact myself, Toneri will not refuse her anything, as long as she remains unharmed, Toneri can be controlled by her" Minato admitted, having witness the teenager do whatever Sakura wanted.
Assuring Asuma that there was nothing to worry about, during this meeting Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had split up for a short time, the two boys off to acquire permission to camp out in the forest while the rosette returned to the apartment for a bit.
Toneri turned his head upon hearing the door opening and shutting "Productive morning I assume" Toneri prodded when Sakura sat down in her favorite chair, a little low on chakra probably due to how hard she'd trained that morning with her teammates.
"Yeah, I even got some good practice in with my lightning nature, Sasuke has the same chakra, so he helped me with it and after teamwork training with Kakashi-san we're going to camp out in the forest, they need a serious crash course in survival training, want to help" Sakura explained.
Hoping he said yes because there was no one she trusted more than Toneri right now "Oh, you're offering to let me terrorize them for a night" Toneri commented, a smirk beginning to form on his face at the idea of having a little fun with the two boys.
"Not too badly Toneri, but they need to learn that it's not all rainbows and daisies out there" Sakura warned lightly, and got an understanding nod, which meant thankfully that Toneri would massively reign himself in but help as she wanted to her relief.
Even though he was slightly disappointed Toneri settled back on the couch comfortably as Yomo joined Sakura in the chair, taking up the entirety of her lap now "Eventually he's going to be too big to have in a village Sakura" Toneri remarked.
There was no way Sakura hadn't noticed that her fox was growing "I know Toneri...here come Naruto and Sasuke" Sakura nodded in understanding, just as she felt the chakra of her teammates hurrying straight towards her apartment.
And since she'd told them to come on in once they were finished asking, the door was thrown open with a loud clatter "My mum said okay as long as we have an adult on hand" Naruto panted, hands on knees before slumping into a chair, leaving the couch the only available spot to sit.
"Perfect because Shisui and Itachi will also be joining us" Sasuke grumbled, because he'd hoped that his mother would consider him mature enough without saddling him with his brother and older cousin and now the point of their survival exercise was meaningless.
While sitting carefully on the couch, "Don't worry Sasuke, I'm sure if we explained properly, they'll give us space to do what we need" Sakura soothed, completely relaxed, most likely only due to Toneri's presence in the apartment since she wasn't quite use to everything around the village yet.
Both boys perked up as if the thought had never crossed their minds and Toneri inwardly snorted but stayed silent as the preteens chatted amongst themselves "Also I enlisted Toneri's help for your exercise" Sakura confessed, causing Naruto and Sasuke to shudder.
Clearly imagining something awful "Relax I promised Sakura that I wouldn't scare you too badly" Toneri scoffed lightly, not wanting to scare them out of camping before they even got to it, thankfully they both did calm down and resumed conversing with Sakura, until it was time for their teamwork training.
"Now remember act like you don't know anything about the Chunin Exams" Sakura reminded as she let the two leave ahead of her while she grabbed a few more things and stuffed them in her pouch, while Toneri stood indicating that he'd also be tagging along again.
Only because she'd requested it no doubt and soon the trio with one extra were on the training field "Why is Kakashi-sensei almost always like this" Naruto whined, having hoped that the man wouldn't pull the being constantly late stunt with Sakura around.
"Hmmph well if he's going to be late, then I think we should show him what we're capable of" Sakura scowled, obviously irritated as she drew Naruto and Sasuke into a huddle then whispered a plan to the both of them, that caused both boys to grin or smirk.
As they set up for their plan while waiting for Kakashi to show up "Yo sorry for being late, a black cat..." Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke, lying about the reason for being two hours late and got promptly sucked into a genjutsu to his surprise.
Not that it lasted long as he quickly broke out of it but found when he came to that he was waist deep in mud with a string of exploding tags hanging precariously above his head "Gotcha, see Kakashi, we can do teamwork" Sasuke smirked when the Copy Ninja eyed them in confusion.
Before the pinkette stepped forward "I get that you do this to Naruto and Sasuke all the time Kakashi-san, but need I remind you that I don't enjoy such antics when I only promised two hours and I don't plan on going past dinner which is an hour" Sakura frowned.
Clearly upset and Toneri was just glad it wasn't him this time, especially when the man tried to say that he was the sensei and so he got to choose what time he showed up for training and that she as his temporary student simply had to live with that fact.
Which only made Sakura angrier "Exactly temporary Kakashi-san and since we just proved that we have what it takes for teamwork, this training is unnecessary for me" Sakura snapped, she'd told him the other day that her schedule was not to be messed with and she was sticking to it.
Two hours was all she was giving him for this teamwork training, and he'd squandered it by being late "Keep pushing Kakashi-san and I'll straight up just leave the village tomorrow" Sakura glared before storming off, not about to have her life dictated.
Kakashi after extricating himself from his student's trap, turned in Toneri's direction "I know your there Toneri-san, could you bring her back, she can't simply skip this training" the Copy Ninja sighed, even if the girl was angry there was no excuse for running off.
One ivory brow rose in response to the demand before Toneri let out a laugh "Afraid not, this is your problem to deal with not mine, besides you knew beforehand that the two hours you wasted by being late was all Sakura was willing to give" Toneri snorted derisively, before also vanishing on the heels of his companion.
He caught up to her halfway to the gates of the village "Do you want to leave Sakura" Toneri asked when she signed out, helping him do the same before he followed her deep into the forest that surrounded the Leaf Village only to stop an hour later.
"No...I don't know" Sakura sighed, more upset than usual because of that idiot "I want to help Naruto and Sasuke I do, but Kakashi-san is really pushing my buttons, if I was ever late back home, gods I was punished, I got all my favorite things taken away for weeks at a time and I was also confined to my room for days" Sakura cried.
Getting to the root of her problem, apparently while loving, her parents had truly been strict with their daughter "You're killing me here Sakura" Toneri sighed, scooping the girl into his arms, and carrying her back to the village, his resistance was basically non-existent because of her.
While she sniffled quietly into his neck "You probably hate me anyway so what's the point, I mean you wouldn't even be here with me if I hadn't made that deal with you" Sakura scoffed, her tone full of self-loathing and if he had eyes, they would be wide in horror, he was sure.
"Foolish girl I don't hate you alright, sure the situation isn't ideal, but I've enjoyed the journey thus far" Toneri informed harshly, wincing slightly when she flinched, but at least it got her to stop crying and they made it back to the apartment in one piece.
Without anyone trying to stop them "Now you promised those boys that you'd have a campout for survival training, so shoo, you have about 20 minutes to prepare" the ivory haired teenager reminded, hoping the campout would be the perfect distraction to take her mind off things for a while.
Realizing in that moment he truly did care for the girl as he set her on her feet, and she shuffled off to her room, giving him a minute to himself until the door was thrown open "Please tell us she's still here and not packing to leave" Sasuke asked, looking around and not spotting Sakura.
"In her room, be lucky she genuinely wants to help you two, otherwise I'm sure she would have already left" Toneri grunted, taking a seat on the couch for now and Sasuke quickly joined him, while Naruto snuck off as he'd known the blonde would to talk to the rosette.
He found her throwing things haphazardly into a bag "You okay Sakura-chan" Naruto questioned gently, sensing that she was still fairly upset with his sensei, though perhaps with this blow up Kakashi would understand how he and Sasuke felt whenever he was late.
"Not really Naruto" Sakura admitted, finally looking up to reveal tear-streaked cheeks and red eyes which meant she'd been crying to his horror, because even at Sasuke's worst she hadn't cried "It's just that I was always taught to be on time and if I was ever late, I got punished" Sakura explained.
Managing to organize her things in the pack properly now as she began calming down some "Sounds like your mom and dad are pretty strict" Naruto grimaced, but now he was able to understand why Sakura had gotten so upset in the first place.
Fear made people do strange things "They were, but I know they loved me to" Sakura nodded, zipping up her pack and sitting down on her bed to hopefully compose herself, it took a few minutes, but she felt better afterwards, even though anyone could see that she had been crying.
"You ready to have a night of scaring us half to death then" Sasuke poked his head into the room, inwardly grimacing at the sight of Sakura's face, though he was glad when she snickered lightly under her breath in response and grabbed her pack while standing.
Then with Toneri on their heels the trio headed for the gates where Shisui and Itachi met them, Sasuke quickly shook his head when his brother and cousin opened their mouths to no doubt ask, but nodded in understanding as they began walking through the forest outside the village.
Itachi noticed when his younger brother began lagging behind a little bit "Is Sakura-san alright otouto, it almost looks as if she's been crying" Itachi inquired, lowering his tone to a whisper to avoid having the girl hear their conversation since Sasuke was going through great lengths to prevent her from getting upset again apparently.
"Kakashi pulled his usual on us, came two hours late for training you know, Sakura's our third teammate for the Chunin Exams only and there was some kind of agreement beforehand about those two hours, it upset her pretty bad, I actually thought she was going to leave" Sasuke admitted quietly.
Horrifying both Itachi and Shisui "He's doing this because he doesn't like me, his dislike is fairly clear, I bet he thought she'd cave in to those extra two hours if he was late, to force her away from me even longer" Toneri scoffed, revealing what he thought to be the reason behind Kakashi's actions.
Onyx orbs narrowed "Before you ask, the Hokage personally asked Sakura to be a stand in on their team, with the promise that she only had to participate for the two exams, no further involvement was required, she only agreed to teamwork training for these two" Toneri gestured at Naruto and Sasuke.
Knowing because he'd been there when the Hokage had made the request "That's not enough to make her cry though is it" Shisui frowned, unsympathetic of Kakashi right now, it was his own fault, but he did fail to see how it could have made Sakura upset enough to cry.
"Apparently if she was ever late to her lessons, Sakura's parents would confine her to her room for days at a time and take away all her favorite things to ensure an effective punishment, the girl has been on a strict day to day schedule all her life and doesn't like having it messed up" Toneri informed.
Shisui winced "Enough of all this sad shit, so care to explain why we're being forced to go camping with you brats it's my first night off in ages and I have to babysit" Shisui whined suddenly, causing Sakura to laugh, clearly feeling better now as she was distracted.
"The Chunin Exams is the reason, as you know there is a survival exercise as one of the tests and since I know more about the subject, I thought I could teach Naruto and Sasuke, some of the tips and tricks I was taught" Sakura explained, surprising Itachi and Shisui.
But now it did make sense to them why Sasuke was suddenly interested in a campout "Good idea, we could even try to scare you guys" Shisui grinned, and his help was promptly enlisted, while Itachi opted to stay out of it and be more of a lookout in case something truly did happen.
Eventually after walking for an hour the group stopped in a clearing that was absolutely perfect in Sakura's eyes as she taught her ~teammates~ how to set up a proper camp "What you mean I can't use my chakra to make a fire" Sasuke gaped when the pinkette stopped him from forming hand signs.
"Nope, that's the whole point of avoiding detection Sasuke, if you use a jutsu every predator or enemy will know your location in an instant" Sakura said and when he looked to his brother Itachi nodded and so he had to figure out how to make a fire without his fire jutsu.
It took a ridiculously long time to his frustration and Naruto didn't help matters by laughing, though he did smirk inwardly when the blonde was tasked with setting up traps around their camp until Sakura scolded him gently "But I don't understand Sakura-chan" Naruto pouted.
"Anyone looking to attack will see every little fault in your traps, you've placed them to high and their also visible for everyone to see" Sakura pointed out, helping Naruto adjust their camp protections to the point where even he didn't know they were there and after that the fun began.
Throughout the night Toneri and Shisui popped up intermittently, poking holes in the camps defenses and scaring the two boys half to death until the wee early morning hours "We'll have to do this again" Sasuke yawned, curling up on a bedroll so that he could get at least a few hours of sleep.
"Yeah, next time I'll teach you about suppressing your presence and maybe we will be able to go ahead without our escorts, if they find us we'll have to move camp and everything" Sakura exclaimed excitedly, this campout having proved to be the perfect distraction for now like Toneri had hoped it would be.
But he also knew that later today she would have to face Kakashi again and he could only hope that the man had wised up because Sakura wasn't going to tolerate him being late a second day in a row, Toneri also knew he was being to hopeful and that he couldn't have everything.