A tiger does not loose sleep over sheep.

In her room, Sakura stood in front of the full-length mirror placed opposite her bed. She stared at her reflection. The mid-waist pink locks. The curvy, yet visibly athletic figure. Thin waist. Long legs. Short temper. The almond shaped green eyes, narrowing as her thoughts took her elsewhere. She replayed the conversation that took place with her shishou on a loop since yesterday morning.

She let out a lengthy sigh. It was time for her to meet her new team. Team 0.

She raised a shaky hand and put on her ANBU mask. She looked in the mirror. Looking back at her was a tiger. A tiger of whose teammates learned to trust and admire. A tiger, that loyally serves Konoha. A tiger, that does not loose sleep over sheep.

But Uchiha Itachi is far from a sheep, she thought. Her genin teammate's big brother had a reputation. One, which had lesser ANBU operatives running for their lives. He was respected, worshipped and feared by all. His name alone brought appreciation and pride in to the eyes of her shishou, which was enough for Sakura to want to crawl into her bed and forget she was ever initiated into the elite forces.

She met him once before, she recalled with an exasperated sigh.

When Naruto, Sasuke and her made it to chuunin at 15, they went out drinking. She grimaced at the memory. Naruto being Naruto got shit-faced and went on a drunken adventure to Ichiraku. Sasuke, however, was magnificently wasted and knowing his Uchiha pride, and just generally being a good friend, Sakura took it upon herself to make sure he got home in one piece.

Little did she know that Mikito-san and Fugaku-sama were away for the weekend. Stupid Sasuke. It was his entire fault.

Once she dragged his form onto the Uchiha household porch, she sensed that no one was at home. Did Sasuke plan on staying over at Naruto's? Why didn't he say anything?

Sakura carefully placed a barely conscious Sasuke on the doorframe, while she searched for the spare key hidden in a secret department under the rose bushes to the left.

It was definitely bruising to her ego and her kunoichi pride that she didn't even sense his presence. Or that he was watching them since they stepped foot into the Uchiha household.

He simply opened the front door, alarmingly fast, causing Sasuke, who was balancing against the doorframe, to face-plant against Sakura's chest.

Sakura looked up at his face at a speed, which would surely given anyone whiplash. She remembers her face turning fifty shades of red as Sasuke groaned into her chest and rubbed his sore back.

Itachi stood at the door, in all his Uchiha glory, wearing nothing but loose black pajama pants and raising an elegant eyebrow.

Sakura recalls with detail how he looked both lethal and sophisticated. Built like a true shinobi. Deadly aura. Passive nature. Like he could kill you softly. Sakura was alarmingly intrigued.

Her admiration was cut short when Sasuke tensed and sprung away from her. "Aniki! You- Are you- Good evening Aniki." Sasuke said, sobering in the process.

"Good evening, Sasuke" he replied, in a voice which reminded her of chocolate fondue, wrapped in sex appeal, wrapped in sociopathic tendencies. Her 15-year-old self could barely function when the legend named Uchiha Itachi payed her a glance. She froze as his eyes skimmed her form for a fraction of a second. He then briefly looked at Sasuke, after which Sakura saw him deflate comically, like a balloon. Without saying anything or looking back, Itachi slowly walked into the house, leaving the front door open.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and turned around to face her. "I'll see you tomorrow Sakura."

Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded once. "Take care, Sasuke"

She hadn't seen Uchiha Itachi after that. She wondered if he remembered her. Well, he surely must know her now, enough to consider her joining his elite team. She briefly wondered who her other teammates were, whilst wiping her moistening palms onto the black tights of her ANBU uniform.

"Tiger, Sakura, you're a tiger." She reminded herself as she felt a familiar adrenaline rush.