"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU." Shaking his head, Sasuke retreated to the back of the roof, his pupils flitting back and forth.
"I am the reason why your brother is as powerful as he is now. I am the reason why Itachi learned what true strength is."
"Is true strength murdering your whole clan?!" The boy screamed, breathing heavily.
"...You are young. Maybe you don't realize it yet. But true strength isn't just physical power, just knowing many Jutsus and having a large supply of chakra. I wish I could tell you more about Itachi and the past, but you have to grow up first." Sakura stated bluntly, waving her hand lazily.
The contrast between the two was almost comical.
How could she act as if she was decades older than him? How could she act like she had more experience, seen more death? Sasuke thought in frustration. How was she so strong and powerful?
"So, Sasuke, on that note, I have a proposition for you." The girl was serious, her eyes narrowed.
She was so different from the girl that he had met before the massacre......it was all just an act, the Uchiha realized. That fangirl was just a facade, a mask to cover her true power.
Nodding cautiously, Sasuke walked closer so he could hear better.
"I'd like to be your teacher. You'll call me sensei. I'll teach you to become like Itachi. In exchange, I want your loyalty, devotion. When I call your name, I want you to be right next to me in a second. Sound fair?"
The boy didn't yet trust the girl, but he nodded silently anyway, deciding to risk it. The absolute devotion part sounded a bit...disturbing, but he could deal with it. As long as he could kill his brother.
Secretly, Sakura grinned. She had two useful pupils now.
-
"When you said you'd teach us, you never mentioned anything about a weakling joining too." Sasuke grumbled the next morning, standing with Sakura and Naruto at a training ground. "Hey!" An indignant fox boy cried.
"Oh I didn't? Hm. Well, I'll tell you now. The genin exam is in a couple of weeks. After that, we'll be sorted into our squads. Based on my knowledge, the exam is extremely simple." Smirking internally, the pink haired girl imagined the face on the two boys when they hear that they would be in the same squad.
"I'm going to make sure you two are the strongest in all ninja history. After all, that is what you want, yes?" The other two nodded, Naruto with more eagerness.
"Alright. Let's get started. First, we'll go over Chakra Control." Seeing the confused faces on the boys, Sakura rolled her eyes.
She quickly explained to them what Chakra was, and the uses of it, including how to manipulate it.
"You see that tree?" She pointed to a huge treeing the corner of the field. "I want you to climb it. Without hands, only using chakra." She added at the duo's unimpressed faces. They quickly turned into shocked ones.
"Well, go on then."
Then, sitting back on the grass, she took out a Icha Icha Paradise book and started to read it while smirking.
"W-why does Sakura-Chan look like that? Its scaring me ttebayo" Naruto whispered to Sasuke, who also looked creeped out.
"H-how would I know? Come on, let's start, dobe."
And that was how the duo's training/rivalry began.
Three weeks later.
"This should be easier than adding one plus one. I swear, if I don't see you both with a hitai-ate on your forehead when you come back, I'll kill you. Naruto, make sure you do what I told you to do."
Nodding in satisfaction, the already genin Sakura gestured for the freaked out and shivering boys to go into the testing room.
First was Sasuke. He came back as soon as he went in, proudly showing his forehead to his teacher, smirking at her nod.
Then, a nervous Naruto went in, coming back as fast as Sasuke, but with a frown on his face. His hitai-ate was also gleaming on his forehead.
"Let me guess. They were surprised at your skill? Is that why you're disappointed?" Sakura scoffed, angry at the adults and their ignorance. Was Naruto not the son of their savior? Did they not owe anything to Minato? Not to mention some respect at the least for Naruto who carried the nine tails, which was the greatest sacrifice of all?
"I'll go...talk... to them." She furiously ran towards the door to the testing room, fighting against the hold of her two students struggling to stop her.
"It's fine sensei! You don't have to-" "Just a talk. Really, just a talk." Sakura mumbled, her eyes turning to slits. "Thats not the face of someone who's going to have a nice talk, sensei." Sasuke grumbled, struggling even more.
"I'll-I'll prove them wrong dattebayo! I'm going to be hokage! Besides, the Mizuki dude looked really surprised and mad! Like you said!" Naruto eagerly said, making Sakura stop, and Sasuke sigh in relief.
"You-you little cute fluff of sun-" The female messed up the Uzumaki's hair with her hand, making him giggle and shake his head.
"Alright, I'll treat you both to ramen. It's on me! Celebration for becoming genin!" Hooking her arms around the boys' shoulders, she roughly dragged them out of the academy, ignoring their protests.
"My neck! My neck! It hurts dattebayo!"
"I can pay, sensei."
-
In the staff room, where the adult jonin still sat, a blue haired man stood up, smiling and saying he was going home.
On the way back, he suddenly fell down choking, and became motionless after a while.
As he died, he remembered a yellow haired boy putting some powder in his tea saying he got it from his friend Choji.