Hello! I'm back. Okay, so there are no power outlets in the bedrooms of our dorm and the computer room is always full so... I'm really sorry.

YBSH is on full hiatus but here's the good news: UNDER THE HEIR IS NOW BEGINNING! So, I think those who have always been with me know who Sakura's partner here is but as I wrote this chapter, I found a juice that I could add to the story. It's not exactly on this chapter. I had to remove it so it will be a major thing when it finally comes up.

So here we are-the first chapter of Under the Heir. I hope you like it. :)

Humidity was certainly not a factor that Sakura had counted when she packed for this mission. It was hot all year round in Rock—that she was prepared for… But she certainly was not expecting it to be this suffocating here.

She continued to be still behind the huge boulder she was hiding behind, trying hard to ignore the stickiness of the sweat that trickled down her back. A hand went up to press her earpiece further into her ear when she heard a buzzing noise. Someone was trying to make contact with her.

"It's all clear" it was noisy in the background but it didn't take Sakura two seconds to figure out that it was Sasuke who had spoken. "There are still guards inside he building, that's for sure. But you guys can take them on."

Another noise intercepted through the earpiece. This time, it was Kakashi. "Kurodo should be alerted by now," he said. "Naruto and Sasuke will stay outside. He'll send for back-up nins and the two of you will keep them out of the building while Sakura and I will head in and retrieve the stolen amulet. This shouldn't be a plan too complicated for us."

Sakura knew it was Naruto that Kakashi was trying to get to. After all, who could forget how he abandoned the plan and made things worse the last time they did something like this. And the time before that. And the time that preceded that mission as well.

"But what about the guards inside?" Another voice joined in.

Sakura groaned, her patience proving to be too short for this conversation. "Naruto," she hissed as she pressed the button on the earpiece. "How many times does Sasuke have to tell you that Kakashi and I can take it?!"

"Sakura," Kakashi said through the device. "Uncover."

With that, Sakura stood straight and faced the far end of the clearing, meeting Kakashi's relaxed gaze. He stood atop of another boulder. He looked at the clearing meters before them. What once was filled with dandelions was now filled with dead blood-bathed bodies. This was almost too beautiful for someone sick like Orochimaru to take in.

With one nod, the both of them jumped off and ran towards the building adjacent to both the boulders they hid behind, meeting each other halfway through the clearing.

The plan was simple, really. Kill all the guards, get the amulet and kill Kurodo.

The mission description originally asked them to get the amulet and leave without a trace. Because the client was soft-hearted, he specifically asked to not kill anyone unless necessary. That was more than two months ago.

When Kurodo proved to be a hard nut to crack, the client upgraded the mission from B-rank to A-rank. Kurodo was a greedy man. He was not going to give the amulet up for anything, knowing it was one of the priciest artifacts. When their client realized this, his soft heart began to slowly turn into stone. He was only going to pay the full price if Kurodo's eye was stuffed in a box and brought back to him along with the amulet.

It was one of the reasons Kakashi had paired up with her in retrieving the amulet. While he knew Sakura cold easily hold back the back-up nins Kurodo had called for, Naruto could do just as well with his Kage Bunshins and neither he nor Sasuke knew how to pull out an eye from a body without making a mess.

Kakashi was hella sure that Sakura could do it like pulling a loose thread off of the hem of her shirt though he doubted she had tried before and will ever try again after this.

"Take it easy," Kakashi muttered under his mask before taking the lead.

Sakura was unsure whether he was talking about her irritation on Naruto or about her anxiety upon the upcoming… Extraction… Because she certainly could not relax thinking about the latter.

As the two of them neared the building, the Copy Nin pulled his hitae-ate above his eyebrow and revealed the concealed Sharingan. "There are about a dozen rogue nins in there," he told her without looking back at her. "Think you could take them all out in one blow?"

"My pleasure," she said, overtaking her sensei's pace.

She jumped into the air, performing one flip before letting her leg swing before her. When her foot connected with the ground, the land concaved, swallowing about a third of the ground floor of the building. The floors above the ground collapsed as well with several shinobi under the debris.

Most of them were knocked unconscious while the remaining were certainly injured. Sakura made sure to do so. After all, despite her gentle nature as a person, these were the guys who nearly broke Sasuke's spinal column with a cheap move.

Kakashi walked nonchalantly behind her while she cleared the path for him, not holding back her brute strength when someone attempted to attack her.

The device in her ear made a buzzing soung. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked through the device. "There was a loud crash from your area."

"I made that crash," she pointed out, her irritation growing once more. "Now shut the hell up. I'm doing my part of the mission."

Kakashi and Sakura both ran for the stairs, knowing that Kurodo's personal bodyguards have taken notice of the crash the kunoichi made. Their feet barely made any sound at all as they climbed the stairwell.

"I can sense at least two people coming to block us," she said. "No chakra signature. How should we go through with this?"

Kakashi thought about it, looking at his steps to make sure he didn't trip. Thinking while climbing the stairs did that to most people and he had no desire to be one of them. "They probably have weapons with them," replied the Copy Nin. "Brass knuckles and daggers most likely. We can take them on with bare taijutsu."

"That's good enough for me," she said, taking the lead.

Upon reaching the top floor, a group of three blocked their path, each wearing brass knuckles on either hands. Sakura went for the biggest man in the middle, leaving Kakashi with the other two.

"Nice to see you again," the burly man greeted Sakura before pushing her away from him.

Sakura somersaulted backwards before landing in a crouch. "Where's your boss?" Hissed the kunoichi, charging a fist with chakra but not so much as to break the whole third floor.

"For all I know, he could be taking a shit," the man replied cockily. "Ain't my job to know where the bastard is, doll face. And why look for the boss when you have a pretty man like me in front of you? I can show you a good time. I'm pretty good at it to. Just ask all the whores from five miles down.

"Sakura," the Copy Nin said coldly. "Switch."

Immediately, Sakura tumbled back to Kakashi's spot between the two men while he proceeded to take her place in battle with the huge bodyguard. As Sakura avoided the attacks coming from both the shinobi in front of her, she heard her previous opponent taunt her sensei.

"I am not swayed by cheap talk," Kakashi said briefly before knocking him out with a single blow.

Sakura, on the other hand, took a while before she could make the two bodyguards knock each other out. She could have taken them out by herself but that would just take the fun out of being her.

When both their battles were put to an end, she grimaced at the sight of the unconscious burly man on the floor, lying atop a pool of his own blood which Sakura guessed was from his gut… Which Kakashi must have hit directly with much force.

"Don't you think you overdid it?"

Kakashi shook his head then proceeded to look for the big boss. "I don't care how innocent he is when it comes to Kurodo's dirty operations," said Kakashi, kicking one of the doors of its hinges. "I am not going to let anyone speak to you like that. Not my student."

As touched as Sakura was by Kakashi's deed, "That comes from Konoha's resident pervert." He stared at her for a long moment, looking unamused. "What?"

"You are my student," he started. "If you are not respected by others, that is because I haven't made you someone worthy of respect. It always reflects on the teacher, Sakura. And of course, you are my only female student so it is my job to make sure that you are not harassed. If I can't do that right, they'll take it out of my pay."

She smiled. Kakashi was as sweet as honey if he wanted to be… Only with a gruesome twist to it. Like now, because he didn't want this man to verbally harass his student, he sent a blow so powerful into his gut, he created a hole just by his hand. Wasn't that just bittersweet?

"You've got one thing wrong though," a smirk played on her face. "I'm not your student anymore."

Of course, she wasn't and surprisingly enough, he was having a hard time coping with that fact. Not wanting to stay on the subject for long, he pressed the earpiece further in his ear and spoke. "How are things on your end?" He asked his other companions.

There were a few rustling noises and grunts of several people in the background before on of the two spoke. It was Sasuke. "Just fine," he said in a cool tone. "We've defeated a whole army of rogue nins and I think there's another squad coming. But besides that, Naruto and I are well."

"Be careful," said the medic nin of the team. "Don't be reckless. I'd hate to waste more chakra on the way back when I should be regenerating it."

And with that, kakashi and Sakura made their way through the quiet hall, silencing their steps so as not to alert Kurodo of their presence.

Kakashi guessed he would be in his office, however, upon busting the door down, they found it empty. Sakura checked underneath his table but her was not there either.

"The little snake," she hissed. "Look what he left behind." On the edge of her finger hung a necklace that seemed awfully familiar to her and her partner.

The Copy Nin took it from her and placed it in his pocket for safe keeping. Not that Sakura couldn't handle taking care of it, he just knew it would be safer with him. Sakura acknowledged that as well.

With a curt nod, Kakashi spoke. "He left it with hopes that we would not harm him. Unfortunately for him, though, that was the special request of the client."

As they left Kurodo's office, there was a loud crash from the second floor. Knowing it was Kurodo, both hurried to the end of the hallway and back to the stairs to catch him.

They caught him descending the steps with a suitcase full of money. However, the suitcase seemed to slow him down so he threw it, aiming at Sakura. With one hit, the case broke in pieces and money started flying all over the stairwell.

"It's over, Kurodo," Kakashi said grimly. He pulled the man by his collar and whispered in his ear. "You like treasures that cost a fortune? Here's one—your eye. The client agreed to double the pay if we bring him an eye of yours."

"You can take all my money! Take everything you want! Please, just don't hurt me!"The man pleaded for his life desperately but both shinobis were decided. "I won't steal anyone's heirloom or treasure anymore! Just please, let me go!"

And then he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the empty hallways of the dead building.

The mission wasn't at all as difficult as the other retrieval missions their team had gone through but this definitely was a messy one for Sakura.

She winced when she recalled the presence of a human eyeball freshly pulled out of the socket just hours ago in a small pouch in her bag.

"Should we rest," Sasuke started. "Or should we push through the travel? We can reach Konoha before midnight if we continue."

Naruto, who was ahead of the rest of them, landed in a tree branch and tried to catch his breath.

"I think it's best we rest," the kunoichi interjected. "We've travelled most of the way, anyway. We should be in Konoha by noon tomorrow if we resume on a leisurely pace after sunrise."

The rest of the team looked at each other and agreed with her before descending to the grassy forest floor beneath them.

Sasuke rested himself against a tree after using a simple jutse to start a weak fire while Naruto sat in front of the blazing fire, criticizing the lack of heat it produced. Sakura dropped her pack beside Naruto and seated herself beside him. Kakashi volunteered to scout the perimeter of any trouble.

"Cold?" The blonde kidded.

She scoffed at his question. "Seriously? We're on the border of Fire Country. Summer hardly lets up until mid-November."

"How are you feeling?" He asked her after letting out a knowing chuckle.

Knowing what he meant, she shook her head. "I'm barely coping with the fact that I just pulled an eyeball directly out of its socket." She knew the rest of her team were aware that it was not easy for her to see, let alone do, what she had done. "But still, a kunoichi has to make an impression for the ANBU examinations, right?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open at the mention of the upcoming examinations. However, he did not interrupt the conversation. Knowing how the blonde would react and how Sakura would take his reaction, he knew it was best to stay out of it.

"You're still not considering entering ANBU," the blonde asked. "Are you? I mean, if you're worried that we won't be a team after Sasuke and I get into ANBU, I promise, we'll still be one."

Here we go again. "It's not that, Naru—"

"Then I see no other reason for you to enter ANBU," he cut her off.

"Why don't you want me to enter ANBU? We've been through this!" Her eyes fazed upon his, trying her best to pierce his orbs with her glare.

His look softened. "We're just worried," he sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry but Sasuke told me how hard it was for his brother. If Uchiha Itachi has it bad, we can't imagine what would happen to you. We don't want you to go through that. You don't need to be ANBU. We're here to protect you."

While Sakura acknowledged the fact that she was not in the same league as the great Uchiha Itachi, she knew that she was better than what Naruto perceived her to be.

"So are you saying I can't handle it?"

Upon hearing the spoken words of the Godaime's disciple, Sasuke closed his eyes once more. This was not going to go well, he knew. And so, the best way to avoid being dragged into the quarrel was to pretend he did not hear anything.

"It's not that but—"

"But what, Naruto?" She spat.

The way his name rolled on her tongue sent a nerving chill down both her teammates' spines. Oh, Naruto was in for it. His best and only chance of getting out of this was if Kakashi returned from scouting to put an end to this.

"That's the problem with you guys," Sakura started, bitterness evident in her voice. "You always think I need you. You treat me like a princess at times when I want to be treated like a fellow soldier. No matter how hard I work, I'm always one step short from being in the same row as you are! Well, maybe I'm tired of the one being protected. Maybe I'm tired of always getting the short end of the stick just because I don't have a bloodline limit or a bijuu in me."

Sakura knew just where Naruto and Sasuke were coming from. After years of working with each other, they felt responsible for each other and felt genuine concern for the other person. Sakura, being the weakest of the three, received the most concern and therefore, is protected the most.

But she isn't a child anymore! She would have understood if they were still 12 but they were 17 for crying out loud! She knew her way around the enemy, thanks to Shikamaru!

"Sakura-chan, I didn't mean it tha—"

"What's going on here?" Kakashi asked as he walked back to camp. He ran his visible eye over a pink-haired kunoichi whose ears were steaming, a tense blonde and an Uchiha pretending to be asleep.

Ah, so it was the ANBU issue again.

Sakura did not pay any mind to their former sensei turned teammate and marched away from the group, settling herself at least 10 meters away from them.

"Naruto," the Copy Nin called out in a warning tone. "What'd you do this time?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and crossed his arms. "Nothing new. He just pissed her off again. No shock in that."

Kakashi looked at his other teammate from the corner of his eye, "And you did nothing but fake your slumber through it?"

"You know just as well as I do it's best not to talk to her when she snaps," he smirked. "That thing in the back of people's heads, telling them not to say hurtful things so bluntly—yeah, she loses that when she's mad. So, Naruto," he started, turning his attention to the blonde. "Stop dragging me into your bullshit or you're going to get it from the both of us."

Right, he was, Kakashi thought. He let out a sigh of relief in his head, thanking God that he was not around to witness the argument.

The last thing he wanted was to get involved with his teammates' issues with each other. Not that he didn't care. It was just that dealing with their emotions was simply too much for him to handle.

After Kakashi had been called out of the Hokage's office for a special ANBU meeting, Sakura continued to report about their most recent mission.

"The headquarters was left completely destroyed and Kurodo was successfully assassinated," she said formally, feeling a lump form in her throat. "We left a lot of unconscious bodies in the area, specifically under the rubble of the building but only a definite handful will make it out of there. There are doubts as to whether any one of the remaining guards would file a report on what had happened. After all, they were mere rogue nins hired by Kurodo. They were mostly there for the money."

Tsunade regarded her words for a moment before opening her palm to her apprentice. "The proof," she demanded.

Almost too quickly, Sakura tossed the small pouch on her desk. All throughout the report, she had kept it in her hands and she refused to hold on to it another second.

The Godaime looked at the pouch and then back at Sakura, noting how relaxed she seemed after submitting the proof.

"I suppose I can save myself the trouble of checking the content of the bag just by looking at you. Thank you, Sakura," she regarded before pushing four small pieces of paper to their direction. "Get these confirmation slips and then claim your paychecks in the accounting office downstairs. Dismissed."

Sakura stepped forward and picked up the small pieces of paper which served as their proof for accomplishing their missions. To be paid what they were due, they needed to consult the Hokage first before she decided just how much they were going to receive.

This time, they were paid the full promised amount.

After Naruto volunteered to hand Kakashi his slip, he and the Uchiha stepped out of the office, leaving Sakura behind to talk with her shishou.

Tsunade, who was now busy with reading the other reports, did not seem to notice her presence. However, she proved otherwise when she cleared her throat.

"Did you need something?" The Godaime asked, not bothering to look up.

"The ANBU exams," she directly answered. "Do you think I can do it, shishou?"

A sigh escaped the Godaime's lips before she pulled away from her desk to bend over and reach for the bottom drawer. She pulled out a folder and set it on the table and pulled herself back to the desk.

The name in front of the folder was not a stranger to Sakura for it was her own.

"Let's see here," said the older before putting her eyeglasses on for a clearer view of the file. "You have trained with Shikamaru for a while. The fact that you lasted four months training with him means you've got some brain there but your records from the Academy state that you were already a remarkable student beforehand."

Sakura raised her hand slightly though she doubted Tsunade saw it. "Uhm, my training with Shikamaru would have lasted longer if he wasn't assigned to escort the Suna siblings to and fro the village every month. He had trouble finding the energy—and motivation—to continue the training sessions."

"I see," she murmured as she flipped a page. "What do we have here? I haven't seen this part of the report yet," Tsunade mused as she prepared to read a passage. "Haruno Sakura specializes in speed taijutsu as mentored by Rock Lee for more than half a year." The blonde lady looked up at her finally, her expression as formal as it was earlier. "Tell me, Haruno Sakura; why did you train with them?"

"Because I thought it would make me better," answered Sakura in a split second. "I asked Shikamaru to help me to exercise my intellect and Lee-san to strengthen my taijustu which is the only thing I could rely on before you took me under your wing. I'm no one special, after all."

With that, Tsunade snapped the folder shut before placing it on the table. "If that's so, then why did I offer to train you in the first place?" Asked the Godaime smugly, finally making her point. Sakura remained silent when she realized the point her shishou wanted her to see. "You were special, Sakura. The way you mold and control your chakra is perfect. I saw it from the minute I watched you and Lee spar. You never let a single drop of chakra go to waste. It was a shame to not maximize that talent. Even I never managed to mold the right exact amount of chakra. I would have ignored you if you were no better than me."

Sakura was at a loss for words at what her shishou had told her. The only thing that gave her emotion away was the genuine smile on her face.

"Why is it that you considered ANBU only now?" The blonde asked.

Sakura shook her head. "There were issues in need of clarification."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Naruto's constant decline upon your proposal to join them in the examination, does it?" Inquired the Godaime. The younger of the two simply smiled at her question. Tsunade groaned inwardly at the obvious answer. "That kid…"

The Hokage bent over the desk and reached for a pile of papers on the edge of her desk before sitting back down. "I'm personally giving you and ANBU application and I am expecting this in ANBU Headquarters by the end of the month, understood?"

Without hesitation, Sakura accepted the sheet and her smile widened at the first glance at the words written atop of the application. Official ANBU Application Form.

"It's an order," she confirmed. "You may go." With a dismissing wave, Tsunade spun her chair around, facing the window.

Sakura left the office, closing the door behind her, feeling satisfied with the sheet of paper she received from the office. Before she even knew it, she was running toward her house, itching to fill out the application form.

She remembered to pass by the accounting office to claim her pay for the mission before exiting the building. She pinned the application form and the check under her armpit as she counted the weeks until the ANBU examinations.

How many days should I allot for reviewing? I should talk to Lee about setting a day each week for speed training. And then I'll try visiting Shikamaru tomorrow and see if he can still manage to give me a day or two to condition my brain for the examinations. Naruto's probably hounding Kakashi to train him so the old man is out of the question. Shishou's very busy so the best I've got to medic training is Shizune and—

As she rounded the corner for the main street, which was the easiest way to her house, she almost bumped into a very familiar kunoichi.

"Sakura," she greeted with enthusiasm.

The medic smiled at her old friend. "Ino," she said. "I haven't seen you in a while."

The blonde shrugged. "Well, I've been on a mission the past few weeks. Just an espionage mission for this guy who's supposedly one of Konoha's new business partners. Apparently, he has this thing about wanting to know just who his soon-to-be allies' enemies are."

"There's nothing new there," Sakura answered. "Everyone partnering with Konoha's been extra careful since Orochimaru's attack fro before. It's been an issue for years. Where have you been?"

Rolling her eyes, Ino took Sakura's wrist in her hand. "Come on, let's go for tea," she said. "It's on me. We can catch up." Ino tugged on Sakura's wrist almost too suddenly that Sakura dropped the application form her shishou had given her earlier and Ino picked it up for her. Like the nosy little gossip she was, she raised her eyebrow at the lines atop the paper. "Tired of the life with Naruto and the others?"

"So much for being the town gossip, Ino," Sakura said in a mocking tone as she let the blonde drag her to the nearest teahouse. There wasn't much to it. It was simply a small shop placed on the first floor of a two-storey house. "Sasuke, Naruto and I are taking the exams together."

Ino let go of Sakura's hand to retrieve her wallet that hung on her belt. "What tea do you want?" she asked as she pulled out a pair of bills from her wallet. "And seriously? Are you trying to kill yourself going up against those two?"

Sakura raised a brow. "Gee, I appreciate the support," Sakura said sarcastically. She read the menu behind the counter and found something she fancied. "I'll have a chamomile," said the pinkette, her tone suddenly changing. "I'll go find us a seat."

Sakura found an empty booth in the back of the shop and took a seat, placing the application and her paycheck on the side.

In a few minutes, Ino arrived with a plastic tray with their tea on top with two slices of cakes; one lemon and one strawberry.

"All I'm saying is," Ino started, placing the contents of the tray on the table one by one. "You can take on one of them, easily. But going up against the both of them," pausing for a moment, Ino placed the empty tray on another empty table and took a seat across Sakura. "That's a death wish, honey."

The blonde pulled the cup of sugar closer to her and put a teaspoon in her tea. She then passed it to Sakura who also did the same. "Bitch," she started, gently placing the cup of sugar back in its place. "I don't care. I'm taking the exams. Can't you at least show the tiniest bit of support? Besides, Naruto won't be able to pass the written exams and I'm sure he'll somehow mess up everything else set for us."

Ino shrugged. "He does have the tendency to do that every single time," said the blonde before taking a sip. "Well, what are you going to do about Sasuke?"

"He's Naruto's exact opposite," Sakura said, wondering as well what she should do about him. "Well, I'm still better at him academically," she noted quietly. "But when you think about it, he wouldn't be thought of so highly if he were not an Uchiha."

Ino put her cup down and thought for a second. "You know what," she began. "You've got a point there, forehead. I mean Neji fights better than Sasuke, when you think about it. It's just that Sasuke's an Uchiha and to top it all off, he's ANBU officer Uchiha Itachi's little brother. Overrated little scum, ain't he?"

"Exactly!" Sakura exclaimed. "I mean, I don't mean to belittle Sasuke. He's really a great shinobi and all but there are others who are better and have greater potential."

"You talkin' about yourself there, forehead?"

The pinkette raised her shoulders. "We don't know that," Sakura answered. "Lee's one of them though. So is Neji. Even Hinata could be but we all know Neji's skill is above Hinata's despite him being of the branch family."

Sakura finished her cake and started for her tea while Ino finished her tea first before she first took a bite of the cake.

"Shikamaru too," Ino said. "There's no denying that Shikamaru could easily defeat Sasuke."

Sakura almost choked on her tea at the mention of the name of the blonde's teammate. "I almost forgot," she said in between coughs. "Is Shikamaru busy? I kind of need a favor from him."

Ino looked at Sakura blankly, trying to recall her best friend's schedule. "He's recently come back from Suna so I don't think he'll be busy for another month. Unless, of course, he decides to take a mission which is, you know, not likely."

"Do you know where I can find him this afternoon?" Sakura asked, taking another sip at her tea. "The exam's in two weeks and I need someone I can practice my brains on."

"I didn't know anyone could level to Shikamaru's wits."

"I can't," the pinkette immediately replied. "But the fact that he accepts to train me means I have intellectual potential, you know? Surprisingly enough, I can keep up with him when we talk about illogical things—at most 15 minutes. There has to be some kind of award for that, right?"

Ino laughed. "It's called the Get a Life award. But don't let me stop you from spending time with that bum. We both know you need all the help you can get." Sakura gave her a look and she quieted down. When she spoke again, she was a little more serious. "All kidding aside though, you don't have to spend that much time with him."

"Jealous now, are we?" Teased Sakura with a cheesy grin on her face.

"No," she said. "I mean you don't need his help. You know just as much as he does, sweetheart. Your brain's on the same wavelength as Neji and Shikamaru. You're just as smart as them. They're only wiser and wittier than you'll ever be, unfortunately. If you insist on asking Nara for help though, I think you'll find him around South of the village at this time."

Sakura finished off the last of her tea before speaking. "Where exactly, pig?"

"You know that little spot under the tree in the park where they hang the snowflake-shaped lanterns during Christmas? Yep, he's always there at this hour," she looked at her watch and gasped. "Son of a bitch," she frowned. "I just remembered I have to meet with Choji today at the Steak Palace."

The blonde did not even bother finishing off the last bite of her cake. After bidding Sakura goodbye, she was gone in a minute. She stared at the cake for some time, debating whether she should just leave it to waste or eat it like the starving hobo she was.

After minutes of internal conflict, she decided to get up, fix her clothes before she took the last bite by hand and popped the cake into her mouth.

I should really control myself more when it comes to eating, she thought to herself. If I keep this up, I'll be double Choji's size by the exam.

Despite her home being somewhere in the south of the village, she was rarely ever there since she graduated from the Academy. The last time she'd been to Southwoods, the park in the south, was during the first few weeks she was introduced to Team 7. After that, there was just missions out of the village, the Hokage Tower and the training grounds.

October was unusually dry this year is what she realized when she first set foot in the entrance of the park. Winter must be coming late.

The park wasn't usually deserted but today, there were only a countable number of people in the park. It was good because she spotted Shikamaru sleeping under the shade that Ino had described for her.

As she approached him, she threw the application form on his stomach and he read it with one eye opened. Shikamaru spoke in a very lazy tone, dragging his words. "I'm free during the odd days—Tuesdays and Thurdsays. Wednesdays are my alone days. You'll find me here every 4-6 pm everyday. I try my best to be alone here. If I'm not here, then I must be at Suna's or around town with the siblings."

"No matter how strange it is that you answered everything I wanted to know before I even asked," started Sakura as she took a seat beside the Nara. "I'm still going to stay here."

"You always were annoying," he said, finally sitting up.

Sakura smiled. It wasn't as painful coming from Shikamaru to be called annoying. She didn't really know. She found it adorable that despite being annoyed, Shikamaru had the patience to train her.

"You do know you don't have to train with me anymore," he said. "I've taught you all that I could."

"But learning is never enough, is it?" She said, quoting their shared secret in learning. "You have to practice. And practice. And practice until you can't ever get it wrong. And that's why I still need you. It's only until the exams and I'll get off your back on the day of the exams."

Shikamaru looked at her and surrendered. "Fine," he said. "But the day before the exams is a Monday which means we'll still meet at Tuesday."

Sakura smirked. "Well, that's bad luck for you then, honey. Don't worry about your 4-6 pm schedule. I won't bother you at this time anymore. Let's just meet every 1pm at your place, okay?"

"Guess I don't have a choice then," he sighed. "Should I set the Shogi board? You were always a better challenge than Asuma was. I won't tell you how many strategies of mine you've already foiled."

"Like I'd want to know how many times I almost beat you at that game," and then she paused for a moment to think. "Actually, forget what I said. I do want to know how many times I almost beat you."

"You wish," he said proudly. Yes, even the lazy ass had the sense to be proud of himself. Well, when you are the smartest shinobi, you have the right to brag a little. It was rare that he did and that's why nobody ever found him too annoying. "Don't you have to look for Lee?"

"Lee's not in the village," she said. "So I guess while he's not around, I'll be spending time with you or some other people."

"Other people?" Repeated the genius. "What about Uzumaki or Sasuke? Don't you plan on bothering them too?"

Sakura stood up and straightened up. "Well, when I try to annoy Sasuke, it backfires. He comes back worse than I am. And Naruto…" She thought well of how to tell him she and he had some sort of misunderstanding. And then she found the easiest way to put it. "Well, fuck him." She took the application form from Shikamaru and began walking away. "I'll see you around, dude."

And with that, Sakura went home and ran straight to her room to fill up her form.

Yes. This was it. She was ready for this.

I hope you liked it. There's not much to the first chapter. It's just some sort of introduction to the hard-working and determined Sakura I want to show you. She's a bit defiant and feisty now too (feisty is different from ill-tempered). Think of it as me trying to condition your image of Sakura. Rather than an annoying and useless co-member of the oh-so-mighty Uchiha Sasuke and the great hero and son of the Yondaime and Kushina, think of her as an underrated equal who always gets the short end of the stick and compromises to get on the same level as her teammates. :)

It's 1pm in the Philippines. I need to get some shut eye.

Goodnight! :)