Pink Petals and Ninja Science: A Naruto Time Travel Quest

[Dixitt]

Name: Sakura Haruno
Age: 12 (biologically) 16 (mentally)
Affiliation: Konohagakure (at the moment), Team 7 (yet again)

Taijutsu: Sub-par (what do you expect from a wiry 12-year old?)
Genjutsu: Quite Superb (It was the only skill that anyone in Konoha would teach you.)
Ninjutsu: Above Average (you're not as skilled as Orochimaru, but you're quite skilled at Ninjutsu.)
Fūinjutsu: Nonexistent (you had barely started dabbling in the sealing arts before you came back.)
Kenjutsu: Nonexistent (Suigetsu was the one who preferred swords.)
Chakra Control: 99th Percentile (Probably the only good thing you were born with.)
Chakra Reserves: Small (civilians never do get much chakra.)

Lost Skills:

Curse Mark: Stage One
Curse Mark: Stage Two
Cursed Technique: Hama Yā
Snake Summoning Jutsu

Relations:

Naruto: Acquaintance
Sasuke: Strange
Kakashi: Contemplative
Ino: Rivals
Rock Lee: Acquaintance

 

[Dixitt]

[X] Your room back in Konoha, the one you haven't seen in three years because of… switching employers. The crimson dress you're wearing is the one you wore at the very beginning of your career. That every-comforting burn of the Curse Mark is notably absent.

You stare at your hands, twisting and turning them before your eyes in a stupor.

This is… what? You're… in your room, wearing your red dress. It's a scene ripped straight out from three years ago (or from right now?), and your mind goes blank for a moment.

How… is this possible?

The ability to return to the past...it's something only spoke about in tall tales coming from the time of the Sage or in fantasy's made for children. But yet, you're here.

It could be a dream… but it feels so real.

The scientist in you says that you should document this experience on the nearest piece of paper, but your eyes drift to an object sitting on your bedside table.

A metal sheet engraved with the leaf of Konoha and sewn into a red headband glares at you mockingly, and you avert your eyes from it.

Is… this the day Team 7 met for the first time?

("I loved you! Sasuke loves you! And you try to kill us for power?! Who the fuck do you think you are?!")

Rather than following that train of thought and spiraling into despair, you move to the door and exit your room, creeping into the hallway and peeking down the stairs.

Your feet move involuntarily, and the wooden stairs creak underfoot as you descend the stairs. The low sizzling of a pot on the stove reaches your ears, and you can hear your mother humming around the corner, and-

"Sakura?"

Your mother's hazelnut eyes meet yours, and your tongue feels as if it's been covered in sand.

It's… been three years since you've last seen Mom, and you can't believe that you don't know what to say. You've run this scenario through your head thousands of times while cleaning the cages or sparring with some poor fool that Sensei- Orochimaru got his talons into, but you never accounted for this scenario.

Honestly, you thought that Mom would probably slap you into next week the first time you saw each other again.

"Is something the matter?" She asks, concern slowly rising across her face. It's always been there, lurking in the shadows of her expressions. You can't really blame her, seeing as you're about to enter the profession that got her aunt killed at the age of twelve.

(And for what? 'The Will of Fire', or so the clans could keep sitting on a mountain of corpses?)

"No… just a bit anxious, that's all." You reply while painting a tone of chipperness across your voice after remembering to keep your composure. If there's one thing that Orochimaru and Kabuto taught you extremely well, it's how to utilize your acting skills.

("I'm not interested in babysitting the village Jinchuriki or licking the Hokage's boots, so I don't think I'll be coming back, Naruto.")

Your mother's concerned expression recedes, washing away to become only the tiniest shadows lurking underneath her eyelids.

"Right! Aren't you getting assigned teams today?"

Fuck. That's right. Huh… looks like you'll have to deal with this eventually, or at least for another three months.

"Yeah… I should probably get going soon." You scamper up the stairs, away from Mom and her prying eyes. Okay. You'll just go to the Academy, and meet your old team. That's not very daunting, compared to facing down someone like Orochimaru.

You rifle through your closet, grabbing the various essentials and ninja tools. Shuriken… check. Kunai… check… headband… check.

It pains you to have to wear this symbol, but for now you'll have to power through all of this. Just for three months.

After strapping your kunai pouch to your thigh, you're about to make your way to the front door when you suddenly slow to a halt before the bathroom door.

The idea of shearing off the back of your hair crosses your mind. A kunai would do the trick, and it would be short enough that nobody could eat any purchase.

No. You can't give any signs that you're older than you really seem, because the old men, or at least Kakashi, will be suspicious if you show up acting markedly different. He has an eye for trouble, even though he always ends up seeing it too late.

You let out a huff of annoyance. Great. Another thing keeping you down.

After much deliberation, you finally exit your home, and on time after taking a few bites of your mother's delicious stew. The route to the Academy is as boring as you remember, the various shops and buildings lurking at the edge of your vision.

Save for your family's tailoring business, the Academy and Ichiraku, you've never really paid much attention to Konoha's interior.

And the Yamanaka Flower Shop, of course.

You've just passed right by it when a familiar voice reaches your ears.

"Good morning, Sakura." Ino says haughtily from behind you. You turn around, looking her in the eyes. Huh. She looks rather… young. For one, Ino still has her ponytail at this point, and the faint laugh lines from all the scowling and yelling (at you, mostly) she did during your teens isn't present.

"Uh… hello, Ino." You respond neutrally. It's… somewhat good to see Ino again, but you don't really have any intention of repeating your pre-teen rivalry.

(You don't think you could, after learning that there's so much more out there than one boy.)

Ino's eyes narrow at your somewhat cold response, and you continue to step forward as if nothing happened. She'll probably think that you're giving her the cold shoulder as part of your conflict, and that's precisely the thing. Ino's too wrapped up in the rivalry to consider the concept of you not wanting to continue it.

She steps forward in tandem with you, attempting to get in front of you, and you keep walking forward. This charade continues for another ten minute's, until you reach the Academy.

You both eventually reach the third-years classroom, and you push open the doors and step inside as Ino let's out an irritated growl at you.

Wow. This is quite the nostalgic sight. Shikamaru is sitting with his head down on the desk next to Choji, who is furiously munching at a bag of chips while Kiba watches on in admiration and disgust. Hinata, as always, fiddles and futz's with her hands nervously in contrast to Shino, who sits as still as a statue.

And of course, Naruto looks at you with infatuation as Sasuke broods quietly in the corner.

For a moment, you catch yourself getting lost in the atmosphere. Team 7, together again after three years.

It's… good to see that your teammates are content with themselves during this time. You wouldn't exactly call Sasuke's mood "content", but he does, or eventually will, care about his comrades.

Too bad that you aren't of the same mindset.

Rather than sitting down next to Sasuke or Naruto like you originally did, you position yourself in the farthest corner of the back row. Naruto's face falls, but that's just because he's feeding into that silly crush of his.

But strangely enough, you think that Sasuke just barely looks at you for a second out of the corner of his eye.

For whatever reason (you still don't know why), Naruto suddenly decides to stand up on the desk to glare directly into Sasuke's eyes. Right… they weren't exactly friends before Team 7 was formed, and last you saw there was quite a lot of anger and frustration between them.

Oh… wasn't this when they accidentally kissed?

You snap out of your reverie to see that, indeed, your teammates have accidentally locked lips to the horror of the crowd of fangirls watching them.

You'd forgotten how… comical everyone acted back in the Academy.

The door slams, and your teammates quickly jump away from one another as Iruka steps into the room, carrying the team assignments.

You've heard this impassioned speech before, so you mentally tune out until the team assignments are mentioned. If only you were in your lab, or someplace far away from Konoha right now. At least then you could be learning something useful.

But that's your own fault, isn't it? You went in charging to fight the Akatsuki, and where did it get you? Impaled on the end of a rod and sinking to the bottom of a lake before ending up here.

Now you'll have to slog through a bunch of D-ranks that'll ultimately be inconsequential, because you're Civilian-born and will either wash out or stay a Chunin for the rest of your life according to the village.

How rigid they think. You might not have honor, but at least you're not a slave to it.

"...Team 7. Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno… and Naruto Uzumaki."

Just as you expected. The top-ranking Kunoichi, top-ranking Ninja and the Dead-Last. A formula specifically designed to try and create monstrously powerful ninja by giving them a monstrously powerful teacher.

It'd be more efficient if they actually taught the two other members of the team instead of just letting them rot, though.

Naruto lets out a crow of triumph while Sasuke merely leans back in his chair coolly. Team's 8 and 10 mutter to themselves under the din of conversation echoing through the classroom.

Well, it looks like you're going to be stuck here for the next three hours since Kakashi has a habit of arriving late. Hmm… you should probably go stuff yourself in a corner somewhere far from Naruto and Sasuke.

Kami only knows you'll probably end up dealing with them today anyway.

Eventually, the rest of the graduates trickle out to go meet their Jōnin-sensei. You spot Ino glaring at you from the corner of your eye, which you promptly ignore.

Which leaves only the three members of Team 7.

You promptly stand up from your desk and head outside. Naruto, as befitting of his personality at this point in time, follows you.

"Hey, Sakura! Since we're on the same team, I was thinking we could have lunch together!"

[ ] Eat lunch with Naruto. There's no point in acting the fool around him, considering that he probably won't be able to put two and two together, and… you are hungry anyway.

[ ] Reacquaint yourself with your twelve-year old self. You have to keep up the appearance of thinking he's somewhat annoying, so going off on your own and attempting some of your jutsu from the future is an acceptable excuse.

 

[Dixitt]

(AN: Character Sheet updated.)

[X] Reacquaint yourself with your twelve-year old self. You have to keep up the appearance of thinking he's somewhat annoying, so going off on your own and attempting some of your jutsu from the future is an acceptable excuse.

You merely give Naruto a flat stare before turning around and making your way to the nearest training ground. You can feel his chakra droop for a moment, but his presence quickly disappears as he bounds off to probably go harass Sasuke.

Good; you… kinda don't want to deal with him.

You make your way to the nearest training ground, purposefully avoiding the one Team 7 originally met, or shall meet on, for the first time. It's a medium-sized scrap of dirt, hidden away behind some shrubs and trees. You would only be found if someone was deliberately looking for you or a Hyūga was using their Byakūgan somewhere in the vicinity.

Time to test your limits.

Firstly, you start off with Genjutsu. It was something you were naturally inclined to before you pilfered the Curse Mark from its intended target during the Chunin Exams of Year 999, so that should be something readily available for you to utilize… if only because of your chakra control.

Second is Ninjutsu. You know how to utilize several Ninjutsu techniques, and a quick (well, not really quick because there's no more muscle memory) flick through some (quite a lot of) hand signs leads to two things; a Earth Style: Practice Brick Wall sitting in front of you, and a dizzying sensation rippling through your body.

Your body's chakra reserves were rather meager around this point, and it was only through the Curse Mark and it's chakra that you were able to perform multiple Justus without sending yourself hurtling into exhaustion.

And Taijutsu… well, you're not even going to bother with that. You continued to be a wiry person well after puberty hit you, which was made even worse by the fact that Sound was always on the verge of starvation.

This… does not bode very well. One-third of your skills are down for the count, and you can't use Ninjutsu on a scale that you previously could.

Dammit. If only you still had the Curse Mark. For all the trouble it gave you, it was quite the boon when things got hairy.

But you didn't use it all that much in the previous timeline. It was hard to keep under control on the best of days, and you only got around to mastering it after you, Suigetsu and Jūgo took down Orochimaru.

(A withered tree sticks out of the massive snake's throat, stretching upwards into the sky as Orochimaru's hideous form twitches and jitters in pain.)

You took the title of S-ranked in the past on your own, not through clan privilege or a tailed beast sealed inside of you but researching and learning under before eventually betraying Orochimaru.

("Sasuke is infatuated with me. He won't drop that torch, not even three years later, and he'll be better for you then than now."

Orochimaru raises his one visible eyebrow, the bandages sloughing off his face as he sneers.

"Do tell how later is better than sooner."

"In three years, I can bring you an Uchiha who has trained under Tsunade, who has access to her healing jutsu! You can keep the Sharingan forever!"

Now that gets his attention.)

When you snap out of your reverie, you figure that you should probably return to the classroom. Kakashi didn't show up until two hours had passed in the original timeline, and you've almost spent an hour and forty-five minutes out here.

Better not keep him waiting. Heh…

You arrive back at the classroom, and immediately see Naruto finagling with the sliding door. Ah, right, this is his famous eraser trick. He's just about gotten the chalk duster up on top of the door when he notices you.

"S-Sakura-chan!" He helps before falling off the chair and onto his ass with a crash. You merely just shake your head before sliding the door all the way open and offering him a hand up. A pink dusting of blush coats his whisker-marked cheeks as he accepts your hand up, and you look behind at the doorway out of the corner of your eye.

If he's already doing this, then Kakashi is likely watching, and-

"Maa… I really must thank you, for saving from a trap like that." A masculine voice drawls from within the doorway.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Kakashi, as usual, looks entirely bored with the tree of you. He's just as flakey as you remember, all sharp silver-edges and piercing looks. You have a feeling that it's entirely an act, though.

"However, my first thought of this group… is that you're a bunch of idiots."

After all, why would a sensei that acted so disinterested be so invested in your safety, later down the line?

Sentimentality, perhaps. Mom's alway talked about how you and aunt Rin were so similar, and Kakashi was on her genin team.

-

"Why don't we introduce ourselves one at a time?"

A beat of silence passes between the three of you as Kakashi watches from his position against the rooftop fencing. Sasuke is practically daring you or Naruto to go first, while Naruto alternates between staring at you or glaring at Sasuke.

Seeing that this is getting nowhere, Kakashi breaks the silence with;

"How about I go first; I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate- I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future- I've never really thought about them, and hobbies- well, I have lots of them."

Good to see that nothing's changed.

"Alright, now you on the right- your turn."

As expected, Naruto launches into a spiel about how he likes ramen and wants to be the next Hokage. It's a bit of a lofty goal, considering that he's the village pariah and a shadow government is the one running things rather than the Third.

Sasuke stays silent for a moment before realizing that you're not going to give your answer, and mutters his declaration of vengeance against Itachi from behind his steepled hands.

A lofty and noble goal. Too bad it'll get sidetracked by his own emotions a few weeks from now.

All three sets of eyes turn to you, and you can feel the words burning a hole through your tongue.

[ ] Write in how you choose to introduce yourself.

(AN: I reserve the right to veto.)

 

[Dixitt]

[ ] I'm Sakura Haruno. Things I like and things I dislike- I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future- never really thought about them, and hobbies- well, I have lots of them.

Well, you don't exactly know what your goals are at the moment… So why not have a bit of fun?

"I'm Haruno Sakura. Things I like and things I hate- I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future- I've never really thought about them, and hobbies- well, I have lots of them."

Kakashi raises an eyebrow in bemusement while Sasuke and Naruto just stare at you in curiosity and shock respectively.

"Well… now that that's out of the way, we can get on to more important matters. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission?!" Naruto asks, chipper as ever. Kakashi rubs his chin contemplatively.

"It's a task the four of us will perform together… a survival test."

"Huh? Survival training? But we already learned all that in the Academy!"

"This isn't like your previous training; of all the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be accepted as Genin. It's a pass-fail test, one with a 66 percent failure rate." Kakashi's face takes on a serious expression, and you mentally roll your eyes; it's just a trick question, meant to test teamwork rather than ability, and Naruto and Sasuke are too valuable to fail.

However, they don't know that.

"What?!" Naruto blurts out, and Sasuke's posture stiffens.

"Yep. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5:00 A.M., and bring your ninja gear. That's all." Kakashi turns away and climbs up on the railing.

"Oh, and don't eat breakfast. You'll puke."

He disappears into a cloud of smoke.

You're left alone on the roof with Naruto and Sasuke, and you pinch the bridge of your nose in irritation. Well, you've been given a wealth of spare time until tomorrow morning, so…

What do?

[ ] Go to the library and continue your research on…

• [ ] Fuinjutsu.
• [ ] Hashirama Senju's Wood Style.
• [ ] The Tailed Beasts.
• [ ] The history of the world.
• [ ] Clans from other villages.

[ ] Seek out any of the Konoha 12. You'll just have to bum around for this afternoon, and talking to your classmates can pass the time.

• [ ] Who do you seek out and why?

[ ] Go and visit your aunt's grave.

[ ] Ask Naruto to train with you.

 

[Dixitt]

[X] Seek out any of the Konoha 12. You'll just have to bum around for this afternoon, and talking to your classmates can pass the time.

• [X] Lee - it is an easy way to get more training, this young body has a lot of potential, might as well use it and go for some extreme physical conditioning. (starting after tomorrows test, now only getting familiar with him and Guy)

Rock Lee… your Taijutsu is sorely lacking, so you'll seek him out and see if you can pick anything up from him. He should be in the village right now instead of out on a mission or anything of the sort.

You leave the rooftop of the Academy and take a look at the map of training grounds hanging outside the front office. Team 9 will probably be in one of the outlying training grounds, considering that the rest are being used by Team's 8 and 10.

You ignore Naruto's half-hearted call for you to stay here and Sasuke's cold haze burning into your back as you depart from the Academy.

-

The main street of Konoha is as bustling as ever, the shops packed to the brim with people as expected on a usual Friday. Asuka Nara's drugstore is still in it's original place, seeing as the Sand's invasion hasn't happened yet, and the bar where ANBU agents always meet is crowded with ninja in slim, white flak-jackets.

Speaking of ANBU…

You look towards the Hokage mountain, glaring at the First's inner ear and the bunker hidden within. This is one of the things that really irks you; the fact that you can't do anything about those old fogies sitting on the council.

Just another facet of your powerlessness. You didn't know that you were already in too deep when you met Sai for the first time.

You wonder where he is now. You didn't get to know him too well during the original timeline, as Sai was your handler before getting promoted to "decapitated body" courtesy of Suigetsu during that clusterfuck of double-crossing each other in Sound.

Eventually, you reach the outskirts of the village, and as expected, find Team 9 in the middle of training there. Actually, you don't exactly find them so much as hear them from a block away.

Good to see that Gai and Lee are exactly as you remember them.

You slow your roll for a moment, creeping to a halt and standing just beyond their field of vision. It looks like Lee and Neji are in the process of beating the tar out of each other using Taijutsu while Tenten talks with Gai about something or other while waiting for her turn against Neji.

They sorta remind you of what Team 7 could've been, had you kept your head down and continued to lick the boots of the clans.

After a minute, Neji notices you watching and stops assaulting Lee for a moment, and the two of them turn to look at you.

Isn't this sort of how you met in the original timeline?

"Greetings, fellow ninja!" Lee waves at you before approaching, and he looks at you expectantly, and you realize that you have no idea how to interact with these people.

Here goes.

"Uh, hi. I was passing by and saw your team practicing. You're quite prodigal, in your Taijutsu if you can face off against a Hyūga like that."

Lee's eyes light up, and out of the corner of your eye you can see Neji raise an eyebrow. Good… that went perfectly well.

"Thank you! Gai-sensei and my teammates have taught me much, and I wouldn't be where I am without them!" Humble as ever, you see. You're about to broach the question of training with them when a rush of wind blows across your face as Might Gai materializes in front of you.

"Such a wondrous complement, my student! It has been an experience for me as well, teaching you three the way of the ninja. Indeed, it looks as if she is just about to embark on her ninja journey as well." Both of their eyes turn to you, and the sensation of four sets of eyes looking at you sends shivers down your spine.

"If I may ask, what team and jonin have you been assigned?"

"Sakura Haruno under Hatake-sensei's Team 7, sir."

Gai's eyes widen a small bit before narrowing as he looks away from you. Hmm… there's something more going on here between the Jonin than you thought, but that's to be expected from the ninja who hold up the institution.

"So my eternal rival has finally taken on a team?! Such splendid news! I must coordinate joint training exercises, then!"

"Actually, that's sort-of why I came here today." Lee and Gai both make a questioning noise at the same time, and you continue.

"My Taijutsu is sorely lacking, and I heard stories of a team of ninja who specialized in Taijutsu. I was wondering if I could join your spars every once in a while." Lee grins from ear to ear in pure elation at the thought of having a sparring partner who isn't Neji.

"It would be my honor to help out a comrade! However, I cannot partake in any activities right now, as I am currently sparring with my teammates."

You figured as much; you weren't planning on starting anything real hardcore until after tomorrow's test.

"Thank you, Lee-senpai." You offer him a deep bow, and you can practically feel Gai's elation radiating off him in waves.

"It is such a joy to see the bloom of friendship between comrades!"

(Person of Interest met: Rock Lee.)

-

You stare down at your notebook, the dim candlelight creating a sphere of visibility in the twilight of evening. Equations and formulas line the pages, their black ink trying to explain just how you got here.

It makes no sense, none at all! This sort of thing only happens in fairy-tales or in wishful thinking of second chances, so there isn't any precedent for this sort of thing.

It falls to you, then, to create some.

Though how? It's not as if you have research materials to test anything, and you're still just a genin with nothing to offer.

Maybe later, when you have the tools to test the nature of the world. It's getting late, anyway, and you don't want to be dead tired in the morning.

The paper blackens against the licking of the flame before drifting outside your window, the charred scraps floating like flower petals in the wind before crumbling.

Wouldn't want anyone finding anything incriminating.

That's how Orochimaru got run out of the village.

-

Looks like not wanting to get up early is a trait that crosses timelines.

You stifle a yawn as Naruto and Sasuke's shapes grow closer and closer before eventually reaching you. As always, Naruto looks both tired and energetic at the same time while Sasuke just has his usual disassociated expression painted across his face.

And now comes the waiting.

About three hours later, Kakashi finally graces Team 7 with his presence, looking as bored as ever.

"Sorry I'm late, a ladder was standing in front of me, so I had to take the long way." That's a new one. Originally, he said something or other about a black cat. Kakashi pulls a timer and a familiar pair of bells out of one of his pockets before setting the clock down on a stump and dangling the bells in front of him.

"Here we go. It's set for noon. Your assignment is very simple; get these bells from me before then. If you don't get them by noon, you won't get lunch, and I'll tie you to one of those stumps and make you watch me eat my lunch."

"Wait, why are there only two bells?" Naruto asks, and you speak before thinking.

"Because one of us will be disqualified. Whoever doesn't get one fails." Naruto blanches, and Kakashi gives the three of you one of his eye smiles.

"Got it in one, Uh… what's your name again?"

"Sakura Haruno."

"Right, Sakura is correct, but all three of you can still fail. All weapons are allowed, and be prepared to kill me. You won't get the bells any other way." Naruto lets out a barking laugh.

"How do you expect to dodge any of our kunai if you couldn't even dodge that eraser earlier?!" Kakashi's eyes take on a dangerous look, and he points at Naruto.

"You should probably know that class clowns are XX usually the weakest links. The dregs of the Academy- you can safely evade them."

Naruto growls before ripping a kunai from his pouch and charging at Kakashi, who promptly grabs his wrist and stops him.

"You came at me with the intent to kill… good." The three of you take on battle stances.

"And… start!"

What do?

[ ] Drop an Transparent Escape Technique over yourself and book it into the bushes so you can gauge them from a distance.

[ ] Put a Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique over Kakashi and grab for one of the bells.

[ ] Use Rending Drill Fang to dive under ground and knock Kakashi off balance after coming back up.

[ ] Throw a barrage of kunai and shuriken so that Naruto or Sasuke can grab one of the bells while Kakashi is distracted.

 

[Dixitt]

[X] Put a Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique over Kakashi and grab for one of the bells.

You flick through the hand signs of Snake and Rat, drawing all your chakra into your hands and layering forward across Kakashi.

His eye widens right before-

"Sorry, Kakashi."

For the briefest of seconds you see a flash of light and a shower of blood spurting out of the back of a feminine-looking figure's torso. Kakashi lets out a bellow, wolf-like and furious as his hand flies up to push up his headband.

You and Naruto both dive for the bells in that briefest of seconds, and-

Get one?

The sensation of flying through the air is all you feel as Kakashi punts you across the training field and whips Naruto into the ground by his collar. You land on your face, your nose crumpling inward as your body slides against the ground.

But nevertheless, you have a bell.

You push yourself off the ground with wobbling feet, raising a jangling fist to the sky triumphantly as you glare in Kakashi's direction. He glares right back at you, the crimson-red glow of his Sharingan burning a hole through you before he pulls the headband back over his eye.

"That… was an extremely dirty trick, Sakura-chan."

You can't resist the smirk that turns up on your face.

"Isn't that what ninja are supposed to do?"

You get the feeling that Kakashi is wearing a displeased frown as he looks between you and Naruto before answering;

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

You know what happens next. One of you gets tied to a stump before Kakashi lectures you on the wonders of teamwork, and because of what just happened, it's probably going to be you.

Which surprisingly doesn't happen.

Kakshi just shrugs lazily and says;

"Congratulations; Sakura and Naruto pass."

That's… certainly different from what you expected. Naruto lets out a whooping cry of elation as Sasuke stares at the scene from the sidelines, dead-eyed and desolate.

Sasuke…

Hah.. even across timelines, you can't ever get rid of him.

"But what'll happen to Sasuke?" You find yourself asking, and Kakashi just raises an eyebrow In bemusement.

"He'll go back to the Academy." Kakashi states matter-of-factly, and Sasuke growls so loud that one would think that a couple dogs were fighting each other in the bushes.

For a moment, you think that there'll be a confrontation until you say;

"Here you go." You throw your bell back to Kakashi, and he gives you a strange look.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"I'm not about to let someone get stepped on just to get myself forward. Either Sasuke graduates with us, or I go back to the Academy with him." For the briefest of seconds you spot Kakashi's eye widening, but he keeps a lid on it before looking over to Naruto.

"Looks like it'll just be the two of us, Naruto. These two obviously don't have what it takes to be ninja." There's a moment of silence as an expression of conflict before he finally yells;

"Hell no! Sasuke and Sakura may be bastards, but they don't deserve to just get shafted like that! I'm going with 'em!" Kakashi merely raises an eyebrow while rubbing his chin contemplatively, and…

"Actually, that won't be necessary. All of you passed the test."

It works.

"What?" Naruto and Sasuke ask simultaneously, and Kakashi bobs his head up and down.

"Yep. It was a test of teamwork, not ability, and you passed. That's all I needed to know, considering that your skills seem to be more honed than the average Academy student." You get the feeling that Kakashi is looking at you out of the corner of his eye. That Genjutsu might have been a little more unnecessary that you previously thought, but whatever.

"Anyway, Team 7 starts it's first mission tomorrow!"

As expected, Naruto cries out some declaration of awesomeness and Kakashi waves a hand dismissively as he walks off the field, but Sasuke stares at you, the expression on his face not the usual annoyed stare that says "everything is beneath me" but instead one of quiet contemplation.

(Relationship changed with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi.)

Great. Here come the endless D-ranks.

-

You have one month until the Wave Mission. What do you do besides train with Lee?

[ ] Go to the library and continue your research on…

• [ ] Fuinjutsu.
• [ ] Hashirama Senju's Wood Style.
• [ ] The Tailed Beasts.
• [ ] The history of the world.
• [ ] Clans from other villages.
• [ ] Juinjutsu

[ ] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly.

[ ] Go looking around the village for things you haven't seen before.

[ ] Spend time with Naruto after D-ranks.

 

[Dixitt]

[ ] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly

"Hey! Are you a Konoha-nin, too?"

Rock Lee halts dead in his tracks and turns to stare at you from below your window, his already wide eyes expanding more as he stares at you in shock. You're purposefully wearing your headband in an attempt to garner more of his attention, which appears to work.

You paint a grin over your face. Though you may not feel it, it's somewhat… cathartic to try and experience the same enthusiasm your green-clad acquaintance does.
"Are you looking for someone to share the Springtime of Youth with?"

The next month goes something like this; Running laps around the village with Lee at 5:00 AM, doing monotonous D-ranks with Team 7 and then throwing yourself into Taijutsu training with Lee in the evening when he's not with his own team.

Lee seems really happy to have someone that isn't Neji or Tenten to talk shop with, though "talk" pretty much means discussing stances and forms while beating the tar out of you. That's not a bad thing, though, and you improve enough to hold your own against Lee by the end of the month even though you're not on the same level that he is.

Taijutsu leveled from: Sub-Par to Average

Then the Wave Mission arrives.

Like before, it starts off with Naruto complaining that Team 7 hasn't had any "cool" missions, which makes the Third unfurl a scroll and explain what the various rankings are before noticing that Naruto has turned around to explain the various flavors of ramen to you.

"Silence!" The Third bellows, and you roll your eyes at the antics as Naruto turns around to glare at the old man.

"You're always lecturing me like you're my grandfather! But I'm not a little brat anymore! I'm a ninja, and I want a ninja mission!" Naruto turns around to pout, and you spot the Third taking a toke from his pipe while grinning.

"So be it. I'm giving you a C-Rank mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."

"Who?! A princess?! A counselor?!"

Naruto's hopes are subsequently shattered by the sound of the door sliding open as Tazuna, master bridge-builder and resident drunk, stumbles into the room. He peers at the three of you incredulously for a moment before pointing at Naruto.

"You, the little one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

"Who's the one with the stupid look-" Naruto says with a chuckle before he glances at you and Sasuke in horror as he realizes that he's the smallest of Team 7 and promptly tries to rush Tazuna out of anger. Kakashi merely hoists him by the back of the collar as the old man introduces himself.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge that will change the world, and I expect you to get me there safely. Even if it means giving up your life."

Really laying it on there thick, old man.

-

"What are you packing for?" Mom's voice emanates from the doorway, and you look up to see her staring down at you, confused as can be. You stop packing your bedroll and assorted spare clothing and contemplate your response before replying.

"A mission. We got assigned to guard a bridge builder on his way back to Wave." You state neutrally, because this didn't go over well with Mom the first time you told her. Her eyes widen, and for a moment you can hear her breathing heavily, as if trying to contain herself, before murmuring;

"Please… stay safe." There's a moment of silence before you stand up and hug her.

"I will, Mom. I promise."

-

"Yeah! All right!" Naruto bellows our the moment you are out of Konoha's front gate, but his words sound like they're coming from a thousand miles away. The last time you were here was with the Sound Four...

"What are you gettin' so excited about, boy?" Tazuna slurs irritatedly, and Naruto throws his hands in the air in gleeful celebration.

"This is the first time I've ever gone outside the village! I'm a traveler now." Your teammate's celebrations do nothing to reassure Tazuna, who glares at Kakashi while leveling an accusatory finger at Naruto.

"Am I really supposed to trust my life with this runt? He's a joke." You stifle a snort. Yeah, a joke that went toe-to-toe with one of the Akatsuki and survived.

Oh shit.

The Akatsuki… Goddamnit. That's… a whole can of worms you don't even want to think about right now, considering that you're a Genin (albeit one that was once wanted in multiple countries.) and you're going on your first real mission.

By the Sage, what a mess.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Sasuke giving you a strange look of mild confusion and irritation, which you return by...

[ ] A small smile.

[ ] Raising an eyebrow before looking away.

"Hey! Don't insult me, geezer! I'm going to be Hokage one day, ya' know!"

"The day you become Hokage I'll sprout wings and fly, half-pint."

-

God.

Now you remember why one of the reasons you hate traveling with non-ninja; the pace they set is unbearable.

Not that you're disparaging civilians, of course. You yourself are technically a civilian, though that's mostly a term the clans made up to justify being greedy bastards towards tradesmen, so it doesn't really matter.

It just takes a certain kind of person to transition from civilian to ninja, though, and most people aren't that type. They're slow, and grumpy, and get in the way sometimes.

Which is why this road trip is/was made even worse.

Save for the moments of sheer terror that accompanied Zabuza and Haku, you don't really remember the more monotonous segments of the mission to Wave.

Probably because Naruto was being an annoyance, Sasuke brooded (was this really the overly-emotional dastard you once knew?) and Kakashi no doubt was entirely disinterested beyond keeping the five of you alive.

Wait... alive… wasn't there another incident that happened on this trip?

Your memory is proven correct the moment you step across a small bridge hanging over a creek as two signatures barely flicker on the edge of your senses.

The Demon… Brothers, wasn't it? A pair of two-bit Kiri-nin hired by Gato to assassinate Tazuna, and the reason Wave went from C-ranked to A-ranked in the first place, if you recall correctly.

Great. This'll be… interesting.

What to do about the two assassins on your tail?

[ ] Alert Kakashi about them. It'll get you in his good graces after the Bell Test catastrophe, and maybe even end this confrontation before it begins.

[ ] Merely wait and then use a Phoenix Flower Jutsu to incinerate the both of them.

[ ] Why should there even be a confrontation? Genjutsu is your forte, after all.

[ ] Let things play out as they did. There's no reason for you to potentially screw things up before they even begin.

-

I really have no excuse for taking as long as I did to get this chapter out. Sorry.