Sakura was the first to wake up between her and Kakashi. She was also the first to master the tree running exercise. She had been smug as she stared down at the boys who hadn't reached at least halfway up the tree. Kakashi took her aside as they left Naruto and Sasuke to train in chakra control. "I'm impressed. You managed to pass that exercise on your first try, did you have some training before?" the jounin asked. "No, as you have stated, it's purely skill. It was my first time," she preened. 'Take that,' she thought. 'Sakura 1, Kakashi 0!' Inner cheered. "While it is skill but chakra is easier to control when you have so little of it. Considering Naruto and Sasuke's chakra reserves, I would've been really surprised if they got it on their first try," he added. 'Kakashi 1, Sakura 0,' Inner deflated. Her hurt must have been evident on her face because the masked ninja was quick to add. "Not that I'm downplaying your skills or anything. But it happens sometimes."

Sakura nodded, still unconvinced. "I want you to keep running up the tree, using your chakra so that your reserves can learn to replenish at a faster pace as well as to expand your chakra reserves," Kakashi told her as he adjusted his posture on his crutches. "Okay sensei," she said and turned to walk back to the boys. "Wait, I'm not done," he said. She turned back to stare at him. "That jutsu you used to get me out of the water, is it your own?" the jounin asked her. Sakura blinked in confusion before her expression morphed to understanding. "Oh, that substitution jutsu. I can't really say it's my own invention. I just concentrated on your chakra similar to how I would concentrate on a tree branch when doing a substitution jutsu so that I could substitute with it. I wasn't sure it would work but it seemed Lady Luck was on my side," she told him a loop sided grin.

"Can you do it with either of the boys?" Kakashi asked. "I can try," she replied as she closed her eyes in concentration. Chakra sensing wasn't exactly her forte but since the boys were close by, it was easier that way plus she had grown accustomed to their chakras. She focused on Sasuke's chakra. She couldn't feel much but she did feel the indignation causing his chakra to lash out. 'Hear I go,' she thought as she went through the seals. She was lifted off her feet and there was a loud poof. She immediately opened her eyes to find herself falling off a very high tree. Bringing chakra to her hands, she grabbed the trunk, sticking onto it like a koala. Shifting her position until she was standing on the tree, she walked down the tree.

Her teammates were standing at the base of the trunk, each sporting different expressions of indifference, shock and indignation. "Did I do it right?" she asked her sensei. "Hmmm, it appears so," the older shinobi spoke. "How were you able to do that?" Naruto squawked. She repeated the process to him just as she had down to Kakashi. "You've got to teach me," the blonde said with an awestruck expression. "First learn how to walk on trees properly then I'll tell you," she spoke sagely. "You got it Sakura-sensei," the genin saluted. She turned to look at the Uchiha she had substituted with. "Are you okay? Does anything feel out of place?" she asked, concern marring her features.

"How were you able to do that?" he growled out. His expression was of pure rage. "Look, I'm sorry for not doing it without your permission but sensei had asked me to do it-" "I didn't mean how you did it. I meant how you were able to," he emphasized with a hard expression. She was just Sakura, a civilian with no ninja background, an oversized forehead, weird pink hair with an unrequited crush on him. She was supposed to be a background character, a support character. He was the one who had to protect her whilst she watched his back. So why was she suddenly acting like some hero who was receiving power ups every now and then? Why was she acting like a jounin commander, coming up with new things and trying to connect dots when she was just a genin?

Sakura blinked slowly, schooling her features into the most neutral expression she could muster. "Is it surprising for me to be better than you at something? Is it surprising for me to have more brains than you?" she asked monotonously. "Get your head out of the gutter Uchiha. You're not the only prodigy around here," she spoke, her eyes drilling holes at the genin. The two glared at each, tension evident in the atmosphere. "Now, there's no need for you guys to start a fight especially on a dangerous mission," Kakashi berated them. "But sensei, he started it," Sakura whined with a pout. "And you took the bait," he chided. Sakura huffed as she looked at Sasuke, finding the boy walking away from her with rigid shoulders.

"See?"


It was a little past 6pm on their third day at Tazuna's house when an excited looking Naruto barged in, dragging Sasuke behind him. "We did it! We finally did sensei!" the blonde cheered as he tripped on his foot, sending the duo tumbling to the ground. "Hey! You'll get hurt," Sakura exclaimed as she rushed over to them, helping them off the ground. "It's all thanks to you Sakura. If you hadn't explained to me, I wouldn't have gotten the gist of it in the first place," the Uzumaki said with a grin. "Even Sasuke here did it because of that, even though he was too much of a wuss to ask you for advice," he added cheekily.

Sakura turned to look at the Uchiha, his arm slung over Naruto's shoulder. As much as she had a crush on him, sometimes the boy was just too much. It wouldn't do for them to have bad blood between them, as teammates and potential marriage partners. They had been ignoring each other for three days straight, sharing a few words with clipped tones. She needed to fix this.

'Well, here goes nothing,' she thought as she braced herself. "Look, Sasuke. I'm sorry for the way I acted a few days ago. I guess being good at something got to my head and blinded me. I'm so used to not doing anything special, it was my first time. I overreacted. I just wanted your approval and acknowledgement," she trailed, her voice thick with shame and guilt.

"Are you just going to stand there gaping like a fish out of water?! Say something you bastard," Naruto hollered, jabbing his side with an elbow. The Uchiha let out a long drawn sigh. "I guess I overreacted too. Sorry," he mumbled, sending a slight glare at the blonde. Sakura's eyes glistened with happy tears. "Thank you, you don't know how much that means to me!" she squealed as she embraced the both of them tightly, sending the three of them tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Now now, you didn't tell me you guys were having a threesome."

"Ew sensei! That's gross!"


Sakura was walking in the forest as her eyes scanned the greenery for a particular herb she was looking for to bring back to Konoha. Shikamaru had given her permission to take a look at his clan's greenhouse after asking for permission from his father. The thought of the brunette and his lazy yawns during a shogi match brought back a painful sense of nostalgia. She was going to apologize to him the first thing she arrived back at her village.

"Hello."

She turned to the sound of the voice, watching a figure which was approaching her holding a basket. A few metres from where they were was the herb she was looking for. "Hello," she greeted back as she made her way to the girl who was dressed in a pink kimono and looks that could rival Sasuke's if he was a girl. "Gathering herbs, I presume?" the dark-haired girl said as she crouched in front of the shrub. "Yes, that one to be specific," the pinkette replied as she mimicked her actions, plucking a few leaves and smelling them. Yep, they were definitely the herbs she wanted.

"Who are they for?" the girl asked as she put the herbs in her basket. "They're for my friend. He has a greenhouse at his home and they don't have this herb so I wanted to look for it and take it back," Sakura explained as she worked on uprooting the shrub, taking care to leave it with enough soil. "Though, we weren't exactly on speaking terms when I left," she added as she fished a sealing scroll out of her pouch and unsealed a plant pot. "What happened?" the girl asked as she stood up, watching Sakura curiously as she finished sealing the the plant back into the scroll.

"We got into an argument, it was petty. But our egos were too big for us to apologize and get over it," the kunoichi spoke as she pocketed the scroll. She sighed, running a hand through her long tresses as the guilt consumed her once more. Her attention went back to the pretty girl who was looking at her in curiously, a slight blush on her cheeks. "What?" she asked with slight alarm. A cool breeze ruffled the skirts of the dresses, long hair swaying in the air.

"When a person has something important to protect, that's when they can truly become strong."

Sakura was taken aback, startled at such deep words coming from someone as young as her. "Where did you..." she trailed as she looked at the ground, shame evident on her features. "You're right. My friendship with him is more important than my pride, I should've realized and apologized that very moment," the pinkette spoke, facepalming at the last statement. "Thanks a lot, I understand that now," Sakura thanked truthfully as a smile graced her features.

The girl giggled, prompting Sakura to do the same. "You'll become stronger," she said in a matter of fact tone as she turned and began walking away. "You think so?" the Haruno asked, feelings of insecurity and self doubt creeping in the back of her mind. "I don't think so, I know so," came the reply. The girl turned around to face her, smiling as she waved at her. "Let's meet again somewhere!" she called out. "You can count on that!" Sakura replied as she waved her hand vigorously. The dark-haired girl turned again and continued on.

"Also, I'm a boy!"

Sakura could only gape in shock as she stared at his retreating figure

'Eh! He's even cuter than Sasuke! Shannaro!'


When Sakura back at Tazuna's place, she went straight to Tsunami. "Big Sister Tsunami, I met a boy who's cuter than Sasuke," she spoke dazedly as she perched herself on the kitchen stool. "Well, there are thousands of boys more cuter and handsome than Sasuke," the older woman replied as she stirred her pot. "I know that, I just didn't think I'd see that. It's always been Sasuke all my life so why I am suddenly seeing someone else being cuter than Sasuke?" she cried dramatically. "Maybe you don't like Sasuke as much as you used to," Tsunami retorted. "But why? It doesn't make sense. Love is supposed to be unmoving, unshakeable, unrelenting even if unrequited," the girl spoke. "Perhaps, you never did love Sasuke," she pointed out.

At Sakura's unblinking gaze, she sighed and made her way over to the hunched figure. "Look, I don't know the depth of your feelings for Sasuke. But, well, you're still a kid, you're not even a teenager. Take some time to understand your feelings, perhaps you'll meet someone new along the way," Tsunami spoke as she ruffled her pink hair. "If you say so. You're already married and you have more experience than me so I'll take your advice. Thank you," the pinkette told her honestly. "My pleasure," the older woman replied with an eye closed smile.


Don't worry, I never forgot about this story. I have a lot of stories I'm juggling to update but let me assure you, I'll write this story until the very end.

Thank you for following and supporting this story. Much love . Just don't forget to leave a review.

Tozoonana

AfricanFire