Sakura Haruno had followed Lady Tsunade for training, never growing close to her classmates. With graduation exams approaching, Hakuki recalled her early, hoping to build some team rapport beforehand.
That idea shattered the moment Hakuki saw her.
Sakura already carried the air of a battle-hardened girl. The lean, powerful muscles on her arms made Hakuki believe she could shatter a floorboard without breaking a sweat.
What kind of sparks will this version of Sakura strike with Naruto and Sasuke? she wondered.
Hakuki didn't dwell on Sakura's school life. Naruto was about to graduate. As Hokage and his elder sister figure, attending his ceremony was a given.
This time, Naruto didn't fail. There was no Mizuki to mislead him. Techniques like the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu? Hanzo, who had studied the forbidden scroll, had already taught him long ago.
Hakuki and Hanzo arrived at the academy.
The place buzzed with laughter. Parents, full of pride, personally tied their children's forehead protectors. A scene of pure warmth.
Hakuki's eyes immediately found Naruto, standing apart in the schoolyard, watching. The light in his eyes wasn't joy, but a quiet, aching envy.
No matter how well Hakuki treated him, a parent's love was irreplaceable.
She moved silently behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto. Congratulations on graduating."
He whirled around, face lit with surprise. "Hakuki-nee!"
He hadn't thought she'd come. The Hokage was always so busy.
"Congratulations on becoming a true shinobi. Let's all go for BBQ tonight to celebrate, okay?"
"Okay!"
Naruto jumped into the air, grinning.
The silhouettes of the three of them stretched long under the setting sun.
The next day, the new graduates awaited their team assignments.
Hearing he was on the same team as Sasuke, Naruto jumped for joy. "Yes!"
Sasuke fought back a smirk, turning his head with a proud, soft "Hmph."
As for Sakura, she looked at her two new teammates and gave a slight, satisfied nod. "Good. One is the Hokage's student's brother. The other is the Hokage's brother. I'm one step closer to the Hokage herself."
After the announcements, they waited in an empty classroom for their jonin sensei.
"Ahhh! Why isn't he here yet?" Naruto paced on the teacher's platform.
All the other sensei had collected their students. Only the three of them remained.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.
Kakashi looked up, surprised by Hakuki's order. "You want me to be their sensei? Aren't you afraid they'll fail?"
He was, after all, Konoha's infamous 'Genin Killer'. Every team under him ended up back at the academy.
"I believe Naruto and the others will surprise you," Hakuki said with a smile.
Their eyes held for three seconds. Kakashi looked down, conceding. "Fine."
"Go on then. Don't keep them waiting."
Kakashi leapt out the window.
Hakuki: "…"
Was the door just for show?
In the classroom, Naruto was plotting revenge on the tardy teacher.
"Don't do something so childish. That's a prank for little kids," Sakura said, not looking up from the advanced medical ninjutsu text in her hands. She pushed her glasses up her nose.
Naruto stuck his tongue out at her but said nothing.
This sudden teammate of his was such a bookworm! Always with her head buried in texts he couldn't understand. Scary!
Sasuke Uchiha, the school's undisputed prince, glanced at Sakura, who was utterly indifferent to her surroundings. A slow, intrigued smile spread across his lips.
This girl… is interesting.
He, Sasuke Uchiha, had never met a woman so… pure and unpretentious.
When Kakashi finally entered, Naruto jumped.
"Huh? It's… it's…!"
Both Naruto and Sasuke recognized him. Their surprise quickly melted into a hint of disdain. In their minds, Kakashi was forever branded as the 'pervy big brother' archetype.
Only Sakura acted normally. Her eyes swept over Kakashi like twin searchlights. She gave a slight, assessing nod. "Sensei."
Kakashi: "…"
Why does it feel like she's the teacher evaluating me?
Kakashi led his new team—a blond radiating reluctant energy, a black-haired boy trying his hardest to look cool, and an expressionless pink-haired girl—to a familiar patch of woods.
The very same woods Neji and Might Guy had destroyed a year ago, later restored by Yamato.
"Let's do introductions," Kakashi said, leaning against a tree.
"Eh?" Naruto lacked enthusiasm. "We already know each other. What's the point?"
Kakashi: "Don't make it sound so shady!"
Sasuke: "What's 'shady'?"
Sakura pushed up her glasses, ready with a clinical explanation. "'Shady' refers to the act of facilitating illicit connections between—"
Kakashi's hand clamped over her mouth.
"Ha-ha-ha! I'll go first!" Kakashi forced the topic change, sweating.
Sakura gave him a calm look and closed her mouth.
She'd leave her future sensei some dignity.
"Right. I'm your sensei from today. Name's Kakashi. I like a lot of things. I dislike a lot of things."
Naruto: "So how is that different from saying nothing?"
Sasuke: "…"
Under Kakashi's expectant gaze, Naruto puffed out his chest. "I—Uzumaki Naruto! Future legend of the shinobi world! The person I admire most is the Fifth Hokage! The person I like most is Sasuke! The person I can't live without is Rishie-nee! The person I hate most is…"
His finger shot out, pointing at Kakashi. "You!"
Kakashi: "…"
What did I do wrong?
He was the one who peed on me as a baby! Why does he hate me?
"Because I hate people who are late!" Naruto's grudge was palpable.
Kakashi stared at him, another young, spirited voice echoing in his memory. He laughed, scratching his head. "Alright, Sasuke's turn!"
"Your topic change was clumsy, sensei," Sasuke critiqued before continuing. "I am Sasuke Uchiha. As you can see, the Fifth Hokage, renowned throughout Konoha and the shinobi world, is…"
Naruto and Sakura held their breath. Even Kakashi straightened up.
Was there some deeper connection?
"…is my brother's teacher," Sasuke finished flatly.
Naruto: "…"
Sakura: "…"
Kakashi: "…"
"The person I like most is my brother. The person I hate most…" Sasuke's eyes flicked to Naruto, then back to Kakashi. "I don't need to say it, do I?"
Kakashi's eye twitched.
These students… each more unique than the last.
Naruto, heart shattered by Sasuke's words, had turned into a crumbling stone statue in the wind.
Sakura was far more normal. "I am Sakura Haruno. I share a teacher with the Fifth Hokage. I like medical ninjutsu. I dislike people who waste time with nothing but romance in their heads."
Sasuke: "…"
Naruto: "…"
Kakashi: "…"
A student of Lady Tsunade, a junior to the Fifth Hokage… that title did carry some weight.
"Alright, alright! Let's start the test!" Kakashi looked at the sun, pulling out two bells and jingling them. He clearly explained the rules.
"Nani?!" Naruto jumped. "Fail and go back to the academy?"
Sasuke's face turned serious.
Sakura pushed her glasses up, already mentally cataloging a hundred ways to snatch the bells.
After terrifying them with the stakes, Kakashi stood still, waiting.
This time, it was nothing like the old stories. Naruto wasn't dead last. Sakura wasn't a liability. In fact, right now, Sakura seemed stronger than both boys.
But even with their changed strengths, the outcome remained the same. They passed. Team 7 was officially born.
That night, when a dusty, exhausted Naruto returned home, Hakuki noticed a small tail trailing behind him.
"Konohamaru?" Hakuki sat on the sofa, eyeing the short boy with the long scarf.
Konohamaru walked over respectfully and bowed. Naruto immediately boasted, "This is my new little brother, Konohamaru!" He threw an arm around the boy's shoulders.
Konohamaru squirmed free and scurried to Hakuki's side, whispering, "Lord Hokage… is Miss Rishie home?"
Hakuki glanced toward the kitchen. "She is. Why?"
A slightly devious smile, odd on a child's face, appeared as Konohamaru pulled a pink, heart-shaped paper fold from his back pocket.
"…" Hakuki asked with difficulty, "Is that… a love letter?"
Konohamaru immediately flattered, "As expected of the Hokage! Far wiser and more heroic than my boss!"
Hakuki: "…"
That really wasn't necessary.
"Lord Hokage, please give this to Miss Rishie. It represents my pure, heartfelt feelings," Konohamaru declared with passion.
"Starting this young, huh?" Hakuki raised a brow.
Konohamaru offered a shy smile. "One must seize love early. I'm confident that between me and my grandfather, Miss Rishie will choose me."
"…You really don't need to compete with your grandfather in this area." Hakuki was afraid neither Konohamaru nor Hiruzen Sarutobi could handle Hanzo's wrath.
"Lord Hokage, you don't understand. This is a matter of manly pride," Konohamaru stated solemnly.
The real man, Hakuki: "…"
It had been years since someone made her want to draw her sword.
"You should give it to Rishie yourself," Hakuki said with a gentle smile.
Konohamaru thought that made sense. It would show his sincerity.
Half an hour later, watching the steel spoon in Hanzo's hand crumble to ash, a tearful Konohamaru stumbled home in a hurry.
Naruto, who had wanted to invite his 'little brother' to stay: "…"
Well.
His little brother's courage was just too small.
How could someone with such little guts be the underling of Uzumaki Naruto?
He'd have to toughen him up!
And so, Naruto began his journey of D-rank missions. Chaos ensued.
Sasuke almost got his teeth knocked out by Sakura.
The story was long, but it started with that 'manual' he'd found at Hakuki's place. Sasuke had embarked on a series of… experimental operations. His 'operations' drove hordes of schoolgirls into a frenzy, fighting over him.
As part of Team 7, Sakura wasn't immune to Sasuke's 'charms'.
But this time, things didn't go as Sasuke planned.
"Sakura, a girl's hands aren't meant for such rough work," Sasuke said, lowering his voice to a gentle murmur. They were on a pig-farm mission, and Sakura was preparing to lead a large black boar.
Holding the boar's collar, Sakura gave him a flat look.
Honestly, these tricks might work on the other Konoha girls. But on her? A joke.
After traveling everywhere with Lady Tsunade, what kind of man hadn't Sakura Haruno seen?
She let go of the rope. "Fine. You do it."
Sasuke nodded, the perfect gentleman. "My honor."
He stepped forward and took the rope. His smile froze. He turned his face away from Sakura, cheeks flushing. The boar didn't budge.
The boar's dark, shiny eyes looked at Sasuke. Maybe it was his imagination, but Sasuke felt mocked by a pig.
"I'll handle it," Sakura's voice was dry. "Weak and delicate 'School Prince' Sasuke-kun."
She nudged him aside, took the rope, and, without a single visible strain, led the pig away.
Sasuke stood rooted to the spot, his exposed toes curling tightly inside his sandals.
How…?
It worked on everyone else!
He stood in the cold wind, questioning his life.
Meanwhile, Naruto was practicing the same 'techniques'.
But unlike Sasuke's broad targeting, Naruto focused with laser precision on one person: Hinata.
Both boys, devout believers in the 'manual' scavenged from Hakuki's place, practiced whenever they could. Sasuke believed in wide application. Naruto believed in deep, focused mastery.
Sure enough, within two sentences, Hinata's face was flushed, shyly chatting with him.
Naruto cheered internally. See? Uzumaki Naruto was clearly the one with the most potential to become a future legend!
Sasuke, watching from afar: Just which step did I get wrong?!
A steady diet of D-ranks quickly wore on Team 7's patience.
"No way! No more!" Naruto sat on the floor of the Hokage's office, throwing a tantrum fueled by his special relationship with Hakuki.
Hakuki: "…"
What a brat.
She gave Nara Sōsai a look. He understood immediately, pulling out a mission scroll and handing it to Naruto. "How about this one?"
"An escort mission? To the Land of Waves? YES!" Naruto, who had never left Konoha (except for that one trip to the Moon), shouted with joy.
Even Sasuke was excited. He, too, was a genin who hadn't seen the world.
A mission to the Land of Waves? Hakuki's eyebrow rose.
Even though Zabuza and Haku's fates had changed, the script of the world seemed to be moving in its own, stubborn way.
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