(A/N:Play music for more effect.)

Four years later...

Academy Recorded Stats

Student: Sakura
Rank: Genin
Average scoring in the Academy: A+
Age: —
Birthdate: —

Strengths: Research, chakra control, taijutsu, spotting genjutsu.

Weaknesses: Ninjutsu. (Doesn't seem to know many jutsu or needs a sensei to learn more.) Physically weak. Small frame.

Note: Top student in the Academy. Very mature for her seemingly young (unknown) age. Has a habit of rubbing people the wrong way with her air of superiority. Socially awkward. Very knowledgeable; bookworm. Legal guardian is Jiraiya. Trained under Jiraiya and Maito Gai temporarily.

Student: Naruto Uzumaki
Rank: Genin
Average scoring in the Academy: D-
Age: 12
Birthdate: October 10

Strengths: Sneakiness, tangible clone jutsu, large chakra reserves, stamina.

Weaknesses: Research, chakra control, genjutsu, ninjutsu.

Note: Dead last academic wise. Very reckless. Fails to think of consequences. Relies heavily on others to pick up after him. 

Student: Sasuke Uchiha
Average scoring in the Academy: A+
Rank: Genin
Age: 12
Birthdate: July 23

Strengths: Kenjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu.

Weaknesses: Chakra control.

Note: Second best student in the Academy. Very sensitive. Reckless.

The Third Hokage chuckled. "I know exactly the jōnin for this squad."

:::

"One for all and all for one, dattebayo!"

That was 'their' motto, which Naruto had found when Sakura was reading a classic, The Three Musketeers. However, Sasuke and Sakura didn't actually approve of it.

The three of them stuck together like glue ever since the Academy. Well, more like the blonde dragged his two classmates everywhere.

Naruto was still loud, Sakura was still socially awkward, and Sasuke was still a bastard, but they somehow formed a (somewhat) tight bond. Had a problem with one of them? HA! The other two would hunt down the offender. Well, unless Sakura wasn't the one in trouble. She just read and trained.

For example, in the last year of the Academy, Sakura...grew. She attracted plenty of boys, despite her insulting them blatantly. Kiba Inuzuka was one of those boys. ("Oi, oi! Eyes up here, Dog-boy," Naruto had yelled when standing on Sakura's right side, and Sasuke on her left, brooding over something.) The two managed to look menacing, even if Sakura was taller than both of them. Ever since then, well...Kiba hadn't talked to her.

Over the past four years, the Troublesome Trio, as Shikamaru coined, had wreaked havoc. Sasuke was the mastermind, creating the actual pranks, Naruto set them up, and Sakura, the smooth talker, always convinced Iruka it wasn't them.

Naruto couldn't wait to prank his new sensei, whoever it was. Even if there was a possibility of not being on Sakura and Sasuke's team.

:::

Sakura ran around the village 50 times, just for a warmup, with her weights...weighing her down.

"I'M SO SORRY, SAKURA! I TRIED TO TELL THEM I WANTED TO BE YOUR SENSEI, BUT I WAS ALREADY ASSIGNED A TEAM!" Then, Gai proceeded to hug her and give her yet another training suit.

"It is fine," Sakura reassured the emotional man. "You will be a sufficient sensei."

"THANK YOU SAKURA! I HOPE MY STUDENTS HAVE JUST AS MUCH YOUTH AS YOU DO!"

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see another figure in a green suit. "Greetings, Lee," she said, slowing down to speak.

"Hello, Sakura-san! I am excited for you! Today, you get your sensei!"

"Yes. I am curious as well."

"I wish you the best of luck, my youthful flower!"

"Lee, stop bothering Sakura," a girl with two brown buns on her head called out.

"Forgive me Sakura-san, TenTen! I must keep training!"

When Sakura finished her last lap, she walked over to where TenTen and Neji were, throwing kunai at a dummy.

"Lee's right. You get your new jōnin sensei today, Sakura! I hope he's cute," TenTen said dreamily, missing the scowl Neji shot her.

"That is assuming my sensei is to be a man," Sakura said. "There was a woman promoted to jōnin recently."

TenTen sighed. "You can always dream."

:::

"Good morning, class! Today is your last day at the Academy. All of you are now genin, which means you will go on missions! There are many responsibilities of being a genin..."

I wonder when Orochimaru will attack. I have not heard from him since I got here. He is staying off the grid—

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered, poking her pale arm. "They're announcing teams now, —ttebayo!"

Sasuke, on Sakura's left, glanced at his two friends, then back to Iruka.

"...Team Seven will be Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto brightened. "Sakura," the blonde shook her excitedly, "...and Sasuke Uchiha." Fangirls screeched and bore holes into Sakura's head with their laser beam eyes. The two boys fist bumped, and Sakura sat there confused. Why do they punch each other when something considered to be 'good' happens?

Seeing her not respond, Naruto explained. "This," he fist bumped with Sasuke again, "is called fist bumping, —ttebayo."

Fist-bumping?

"You do it when something good happens."

"I see. You channel the adrenaline rush into a gesture," Sakura said, still earning a few stares from her classmates, despite knowing her strange way of thinking. Although I do not know what excitement or adrenaline feels like, nor do I need it. Feelings are a weakness, and my only purpose is to serve Orochimaru by gathering information.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Pretty much.

"Allow me, now that I understand," Sakura said, raising a fist, and clocking Naruto.

"S-Sakura! What did you do to Naruto!?" Iruka yelled.

Everyone sweatdropped at her reasoning. ("I performed a fist bump," she explained in her monotonous tone.")

:::

"We've been waiting, like, forever, dattebayo!" Naruto yelled, having woken up half an hour ago.

"We have been waiting for two hours, forty minutes, and six seconds. That is not 'forever'. Ramen-boy. There is a saying, 'Patience is a virtue'," Sakura said, reading a book titled, How to Understand Others Better. Sasuke sat beside her, reading along.

"Yeah, yeah. Teme, how are you just sitting there?"

"I'm actually mad on the inside," Sasuke muttered grumpily.

"I read a book that states it is not healthy to keep your feeling in for so long," Sakura said, not looking up.

"Hey, —ttebayo, then what about you, Sakura-chan?"

"It is simple. I am not capable of having feelings. I obey logic. That is all."

"Er...right..." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances. "About that, why is it that you can't, —ttebayo?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly, the door slip open, and the blackboard eraser fell on a young man's head. It was silent, and then Naruto began laughing. "You seriously fell for that?"

The grey-haired man stepped into the classroom. His gravity-defying hair stuck up unnaturally. "Let me just say..." His voice sounded pleasant at first, but Sakura could detect anger in it. "You're all idiots. Meet me on the roof!" Their new sensei poofed away.

"He does not seem to be a very happy man," Sakura observed, and the other two nodded. He had tricked us into a false sense of security, by appearing to be a clumsy oaf. He is clever, just like me. However, I am cleverer.

"Hey, Teme, Sakura! LAST ONE UP HAS TO TELL OUR NEW SENSEI WE LOVE HIM!" Naruto bolted out the door, Sasuke on his tail.

You should just walk up the side of the building. Remember training with Jiraiya?

That is a good idea. I do not wish to tell that man I love him, what ever that may mean.

Sakura pried open the window and climbed out, running up the building vertically. When she got to the top, the masked man didn't look surprised. In fact, he just stared at her, as if she were a rare specimen, which, she technically was.

The door burst open, with Naruto and Sasuke both looking mildly confused. Naruto breathed heavily, "W-what? How did you...get here s-so fast, —ttebayo?"

"I used my knowledge," Sakura answered.

"All right, all right. You three, sit down over there," their new sensei pointed to a small staircase. As soon as they sat down, he spoke again. "I want all of you to tell me what your names is, what you like, what you dislike, and what your goal is. Blondie can go first."

"What about you, dattebayo?" Naruto asked. Their sensei's answer was short and didn't reveal anything about him, other than his name, Kakashi Hatake. The man that supposedly cut lightning, the pinkette remembered.

Sakura didn't pay attention to what Naruto was saying, but instead focused on Kakashi. Everything he wore was standard equipment, other than his mask.

He is quite clever, not wearing any specialized equipment. However, according to #11 of the Shinobi Code, "A shinobi must read underneath the underneath." The fact that he does not have anything other than what is required shows he is a very powerful shinobi. He does not need a sword or any other abnormal weapon, he only needs the basics to take down an enemy. He must know a plethora of jutsu.

"—ura-chan, it's your turn, dattebayo!"

Sakura blinked, then said, "I am called Sakura. Most of the time you will find me in the library, training, or with Sasuke and Naruto. I do not dislike anything; my goal is to get stronger." It would be wiser not to change much about myself from when I introduced myself in the Academy.

Interesting how she turned out to be... Kakashi thought, then turned to Sasuke. "Last but not least! Go."

"Sasuke Uchiha. I enjoy training, tomatoes, and..." His eye twitched, but his slightly pink cheeks betrayed him. "Hanging out with Sakura." He smirked when Naruto started yelling. "I dislike Dobe. My goal is to kill a certain man."

I do not know who this man is, but most likely the one that wiped out his clan. Mass murder will not be recorded in the library; it will be kept in the Hokage's files. What is wrong with Sasuke? His face is red. He must be sick, not that it concerns me, of course. 

Oh my Kami, you're so dense.

What is it that makes me compact?

No! I mean, dense! As in, oblivious!

What is it with these strange terminology that mean two things?

It was quiet until Kakashi spoke again. "Alright! That's good! We'll be meeting for a final test at training grounds—"

"WHAT?! We already took a test! This's unfair, —ttebayo!"

As their sensei droned on, Sakura thought to herself. This man has just revealed that we have a low chance of passing, 34% to be exact. This will pit each other against ourselves, not that I should worry. I can pass this test. Although I am physically weaker than Ramen-boy and Duck-butt, I am more knowledgeable.

"...Oh! And make sure you don't eat. You'll throw up."

What will be different about the bell test?

Will Sakura know what teamwork is in order to become a full-fledged genin?