Orphans Stick Together

"Sakura?"

Her eyes were still burning, even if they had long since run out of tears to shed. How dehydrated could someone get just from crying? She would have to read up on that. Something told her there was plenty more crying to be done. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Why was fate so… cruel? Everything should have been so easy, all she had to do was come in first place of the girls from her class. She had the brains for it, and Naruto and Sasuke had been making sure she wasn't slacking in the physical department, so how could she have messed it all… Oh no.

Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura tried to swallow the lump in her throat. How could she ever look those two in the eye ever again? Knowing what she knew now, did she even deserve their friendship? No. Certainly not. Once they learned the truth as well, Sakura knew that whatever there was between them would be shattered immediately. Could she even be mad about that? She couldn’t blame them if that's what they did. It was understandable, really. Could she be mad at the fourth Hokage, for cursing her with this burden? No. She wouldn’t dare. Naruto's parents had both given their lives on the day of his birth to defeat the Kyuubi. Sakura couldn’t hate them for taking drastic measures to save the village.

What could she do then? Crying wasn’t helping anyone. But then, Sakura wasn't sure what else there was for her right now.

"Sakura?"

She peered up at the Hokage. His old, wrinkled face stretching into such a warm and disarming smile. Despite everything, he was still being so kind. The Anbu had even been gentle with her after finding her. Shouldn’t they have all feared her? Hated her? Nothing was making much sense anymore.

"I'm glad you're alright, Sakura," the Hokage said. "Do you need anything?"

Sakura shook her head. She returned to looking at the floor. Why was she here? Did her knowing the truth change things somehow? Did it make her dangerous? Was life as she knew it about to get flipped on its head? She had so many questions, and not the slightest bit of strength or courage to ask them. Trusting Mizuki had been the biggest mistake of her life.

"Do you mind answering some questions for me? You can say no. I will understand if you wish to take some time to rest." His words were so soft and gentle. Sakura always found it hard to believe that the kindly old Hokage was in fact one of the most dangerous men in the world, now more so than ever. She nodded meekly. "Why did you take the scroll for Mizuki?"

Her head hung a little lower at the question. It was all so stupid in hindsight. How could she have believed a word that man had said? At the time she had been desperate, but still… so stupid. "I…" she croaked, swallowing yet again to try reclaim her voice. "I didn’t make top place of the girls in my class."

"Oh?"

Stupid, stupid, stupid. "I know that… well, I think I know, that the genin teams are arranged in a certain order. At least some of them are," Sakura continued. "The top achieving girl and boy of the class are paired with the lowest achieving student, to create balance and promote teamwork and growth. We… I… was trying to fix the team selection. I just… wanted to be with my friends. Mizuki offered me extra credit to make the cut, and I… I'm sorry."

She looked up, expecting to see the enraged face of her Kage, but was met with aged eyes that gleamed with amusement. "An interesting strategy," he said. "And how did you figure out the methods by which we assign the genin teams?"

The answer to that was a little less shameful. "I snuck into the shinobi library."

The Hokage chuckled. "This explains a lot," he said with a smile. "Am I to understand that Naruto and Sasuke are also aware of this plan?"

Shit. Sakura knew she should have kept her mouth shut. Her being punished for what happened here was fine. She would deal with the consequences of her own stupidity head on, but if she accidentally dragged her friends down with her. Dammit. What could she say now? How could she make sure the Hokage understood that it was all her idea, that Naruto and Sasuke weren’t a part of it at all. She needed to say something, anything.

"It's quite alright. None of you are in trouble," the old man assured her. "It would just… explain some things I have been curious about."

"Forgive me." She bowed deeply.

"No, I am the one who must ask you for forgiveness, Sakura." His words made her look up at him in shock. "This is not at all how I wished for you to learn the truth. In truth, I had hoped you would never need to know the truth at all. You could have lived your life peacefully, never having to worry about the burden you bear. I'm afraid that was foolish of me. Mizuki's treachery was surprising, so for now I am happy to simply have you back alive."

Sakura nervously raked her fingers through her hair, or what was left of it at least. It was so short now, compared to the long pink locks she had been so careful to maintain. Naruto and Sasuke always told her how impractical it was; guess they were right. Being dragged by her hair by Mizuki had really put things into perspective. She wouldn’t be growing it out anytime soon. "Lord Hokage… what happens to me now?" Just asking that made her feel sick. Mizuki was a traitor, and she had inadvertently aided him. There had to be punishment.

The Hokage hummed thoughtfully, a single finger tapping on the wood of his desk. "You passed the graduation exam," he said. "All of your actions today were done as a shinobi of Konoha. The infiltration of the Hokage tower. The theft of the forbidden scroll of seals. The aiding of a traitorous shinobi." Sakura gulped. People had been executed for less. "You fell victim to Mizuki's manipulations and lies, and the security of the village was put in jeopardy because of this. As such, you will need to be punished. As Hokage, I hereby sentence you to servitude. You will repay your debt to Konoha and make up for your mistakes as a shinobi under my rule."

Sakura blinked. Was he smirking? "Lord Hokage…?"

"Unless you don't wish to be a shinobi. I'm sure we can figure something else out if that is the case," he said, smirk never leaving his face.

"That isn’t a punishment," Sakura said, frowning. Was she missing something here? "I helped a traitor. Mizuki got away with the scroll. I'm a criminal."

The Hokage shrugged. "Mizuki got away with a scroll, that much is true. By the time the fool figures out it is worthless, it will be too late," he said, winking at Sakura. "You are smart, Sakura. Incredibly so for your age. But you are barely a genin, and no matter how clever, even you could never have managed to steal something so valuable from right under my nose. The scroll you took was a decoy."

Sakura's shoulders fell. "You mean… I could have died… for a… for a…"

"A fake. I'm afraid so," he finished for her. "But you did not, and for that I am grateful. You showed impressive skills for an academy graduate, and you have managed to do the village a great service. Mizuki sent you to cover his own tracks. He had already resigned from the academy and put in his formal resignation as a shinobi. Had you not returned safely with the knowledge you had, we would not know who the traitor would have been for some time. I owe you for that."

"Why?" Sakura asked, sharp and to the point. "Why are you lying? Why are you twisting this to my benefit?" Why was he bothering to try and cover it up? He knew what she had done, as did many others by now. Was this special treatment? Because she was so young? No way. Because she showed promise as a shinobi? Unlikely. No, Sakura knew exactly why he was trying to bend this situation to a positive light, and it make her sick. Not even half a day into learning what she was, and it was already affecting her life. "Please. Please don’t tell me this is because of that. I'm a criminal, not some hero. This thing inside is proof of that."

The old man never stopped smiling as he walked around his desk to her, kneeling before her. "That thing inside you is exactly what makes you a hero," he said. "You, Sakura Haruno, were chosen by the fourth Hokage to contain an evil that even he could not hope to defeat. It is your strength that has kept this village safe all these years, and it shall continue to do so for decades to come. He wished for you to be seen as a hero of Konoha, to be honoured for your sacrifice. Your actions today, while unfortunate, do not take away from who you truly are. There is still much time for you to learn, and many more mistakes for you to make along the way. But that knowledge should be a relief to you."

"It should?" She wanted to cry again. Why her?

"Of course," he said. "Mistakes are human. So long as you continue to fumble and learn from your mistakes, you can always be sure that you are still human. Anyone else in your position today might have broken under the revelation you learnt. There is no telling what harm Mizuki could have done, but he didn’t have a chance, because you were too strong. It is precisely that strength that the fourth saw in you, even as an infant, and it is that same strength that I see in you now. The strength to be a great and loyal shinobi of this village." His hand softly grasped her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "You messed up, but you remained loyal, and you overcame fear. You returned to the village, knowing you would be punished, expecting it, embracing it. No one need dare question your loyalty or integrity after today, especially not yourself."

She was crying again. "But the Kyuubi-"

"Is a secret," he cut in. "And it shall remain as such unless you deem otherwise. No one else need know of your burden if you don't wish it, especially your new teammates."

Her eyes widened. "You don’t mean…"

The Hokage laughed. "I'm afraid that while your efforts were commendable, they were unneeded. While your assumption of how we assign teams was somewhat accurate, there are many factors that can change what is done in the moment of selection. Naruto is young, but his voice still holds much sway in the village. And he can be incredibly annoying when he doesn’t get his way."

Sakura laughed, a hideous babble that fought against her strained sobs. It was true, Naruto could be insufferable at times. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

"That's better," the old man said, wiping away at her tears with the sleeve of his robe. "You have a beautiful smile, Sakura. The village is better with people like you protecting it. Promise me you will never doubt yourself, no matter what. So many have seen the strength in you, so now you just need to see it in yourself. Now go, get some rest. Team assignments are in a week, so be ready."

The walk home was a silent affair, much to Sakura's relief. She didn’t need anyone seeing her like this, not yet. She needed to fix her hair and sleep away her tired eyes. The Uchiha district was always empty, so once she entered its boundaries, she was free to let her guard down. There would only be two people she needed to keep an eye out for in here. Sadly, those were the two people she wanted to be caught by the least. What could she possibly tell either of them? She hadn’t had the time to properly construct a lie. It might have been wise to ask the Hokage for help in that regard before she left.

Way back, when Sasuke had so graciously insisted that his friends help bring life back to his family's home, neither Sakura nor Naruto had been greedy enough to claim a house all to themselves. Instead, they had made the bold choice to bunk together in the one household. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, a way to feel closer to each other, but now… now Sakura wished she had the luxury of not having to sneak into her own home. Crawling in her bedroom window would have been smart, if a little ridiculous. If she got caught doing that, then that would only bring more questions. The front door would have to suffice. Hopefully luck was on her side and the boys would be asleep by now.

She opened the door as silently as possible, kicking off her shoes and crept inside. The house was dark, so it seemed she was safe for now. Sakura got maybe five steps in before a light flicked on suddenly, illuminating not only her in the middle of her crime, but also Naruto and Sasuke as they sat in waiting.

Luck was not on her side. How long had they been waiting like that? They couldn’t have known when she would be home. Had they wasted an entire evening on this?

In the first instance, their expressions had been the picture of seriousness, but that was quick to change once they actually got a look at her. Sakura could actually feel the sudden eruption of bloodlust. The boys were on their feet and by her side faster than she could follow.

"Sakura! What happened? Are you okay? Where were you? What happened to your hair?"

"Are you hurt? Who did this to you? What is their name? I will make them pay."

Any other day, Sakura would have been flattered by the joint attention from the boys, but not today. Her face went bright red, and she desperately wished she was wearing a large jacket like Hinata did. Retreating into her clothes sounded like an amazing idea. Words were proving difficult for her right now, so for a time she silently suffered the pairs relentless questioning and scrupulous inspection of her wellbeing. They fussed over her to an insufferable extent, redressing her wounds and fetching her a clean set of clothes. By the time she could find her voice, Sakura was seated on the lounge with both of her housemates before her. Naruto was sitting at her feet, looking up at her like a lost puppy, and Sasuke was standing to the side with an unreadable expression.

It was clear they wouldn’t take silence for an answer, even if they had to wait all night.

She couldn’t tell them. Not of what had happened, nor of what she had learnt. How would they take such information? Not well, that was for sure. Sakura herself still hadn’t fully processed it all, and there was no telling how she would react once it all fell into place in her mind. It wasn't like she could just blurt it all out anyway. What could she say? 'Oh, hey Naruto. Hey Sasuke. No big deal, no need to worry. I just happen to have the Kyuubi sealed inside of me. You know, giant fox of death and destruction. Killer of your parents and the reason the village held such doubt for the Uchiha'. Yeah, that would go down swimmingly.

"I'm okay," she lied.

"No." Of course, Sasuke would see right through her.

"Sasuke, don’t be an ass," Naruto said. Sasuke grunted and Naruto turned back to Sakura with a wide grin. "It's cool. You don't have to tell us now. Just tell us if there is a risk of this happening again?"

Sakura melted, both at his words and his tone of voice. Naruto always had a way of knowing just how to talk to someone, when he wasn’t actively being obnoxious that was. She shook her head. "The Hokage dealt with it."

Naruto crossed his arms and gave an overly serious nod. "That settles it then," he said, getting to his feet with a yawn. "The old man wouldn’t let you come home if you weren’t okay."

Sasuke looked less convinced, his eyes lingering on her hair. "You need rest."

That much she could agree with. They didn’t hold her up any longer, both lingering only long enough to make sure Sakura made her way to her bedroom before they each went to their own. Once she finally had her privacy, Sakura curled up in the middle of her bed. The tears came easily and silently. Her life could have ended today, either by death or imprisonment for her crimes. Had the Hokage not been so kind and understanding, then everything could have fallen apart around her. That didn’t mean she was out of the woods yet. What was she supposed to do from here on? She couldn’t tell the boys the truth, and if she couldn’t manage that, then how was she supposed to keep living with them? And what about the team placements? If the Hokage was to be believed, then they were going to end up together after all.

Did she deserve to be their teammate while keeping such a secret from them?

{I}

The next few days passed in a blur. Between wrapping her head around everything and avoiding everyone she knew; Sakura was too busy to notice the time pass her by. She did eventually have to venture out into the village, and at some point Ino had managed to spot her. Whatever bad blood there was between them, born from the jealousy incited by Sakura being invited to live with Sasuke, had miraculously vanished in that moment. They weren’t friends again, not yet, but it was well on its way. At least now, thanks to Ino, Sakura's hair was much more presentable, and she could stop trying to hide wherever she went. Naruto said the new style looked cool, and Sasuke even uttered a quiet "practical".

She still hadn’t told them anything. Anyone. Somehow, Sasuke had figured out that Mizuki was involved, but he wouldn’t elaborate as to how he had acquired such knowledge. All that mattered was that he and Naruto had a name and knew that Mizuki got out of the village alive. Another name on the list. As much as Sakura had grown to hate her former teacher, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him if the day ever came that the boys caught up to him. Sadly, her hatred for Mizuki didn’t help Sakura on the day of team placement. Each step closer to the academy was a reminder of her mistakes, and walking through its doors only made her remember all too clearly what was locked away inside of her.

It was just as the Hokage had said. Iruka read out the assorted teams to the class, and she, Naruto, and Sasuke were placed together. Sakura wanted to be happy, she really did. She forced a smile, but it didn’t help. One by one, the jonin sensei arrived and took their teams, until it was only the three of them left in the room. They chatted idly while they waited. Well, Naruto chatted; Sasuke and Sakura mostly listened on happily. This much was easy. Minutes dragged on into hours, and at some point, they had to question if their sensei was ever going to show. So, imagine their surprise when a masked cycloptic jonin finally entered, falling victim to Naruto's childish prank before commanding them to meet on the roof.

His name was Kakashi. In their sensei's lazy attempt to give an example of an introduction, he managed to convey no useful information outside of his name. Sakura had to wonder if the man wanted to be a sensei at all with the way he conducted himself. She was caught off guard when Kakashi pointed at her to be next to give an introduction. For whatever reason, she couldn’t get any words out, and with each passing second, she felt herself get more anxious.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Gods bless that beautiful blonde idiot.

"I like ramen, and training. I dislike snobby ass-kissers. I hate Mizuki." He paused to spit at having to mention the name. "My dream is to become strong enough to stop any demon from killing anyone ever again."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Demon. The Kyuubi. Naruto hated the fox so much for taking his parents lives. He even made a point to celebrate his birthday the day before the anniversary of the event, just so he could keep it separate. What would he say if he knew that very monster was sitting right next to him?

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like training. I dislike tardiness." If looks could kill, Kakashi would be a very dead man. "I also hate Mizuki and my dream is to restore honour to my clan."

Sakura gulped as her sensei turned back to her expectantly. Both Naruto and Sasuke tried to look unconcerned. They didn’t need an introduction from her. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like my friends and reading. I dislike bullies, and I hate Mizuki. My dream is…"

What was her dream? To become a strong kunoichi? Too generic. To serve alongside her friends and always be there for them? Obviously, but that was more a promise than a dream. Sakura absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. Whatever kind of dream Sakura might have had before that night, she didn’t remember it. Everything she had been, all that she was, didn’t quite apply anymore. All because of what she now knew was inside of her. What was her dream supposed to be now?

"My dream is…" her voice was barely a whisper. She wasn’t talking to them, just herself.

Again, she had to wonder, why her? It was a selfish thought. Even after the past few days, during which she had managed to speak to the Hokage at length about everything, Sakura still couldn’t help but feel lost. Anyone could have become the jinchuuriki that night, well, anyone young enough to handle the sealing. Sakura was just the unlucky one at the time. Why she was chosen was still unknown, along with much of the events of what happened during the Kyuubi's rampage. Still, Sakura's misfortune was everyone else's fortune. With the fox sealed within her, the village was safe. With her shouldering the burden, no one else had to suffer. The power of the human sacrifice. An honour and a curse. Sakura was suspecting it was far more of a curse than anything else.

No matter how many kind and reassuring words the Hokage rattled off to her, Sakura simply felt… trapped.

"Free…" she let out a deep breath and smiled. "My dream is to be free." She looked up at her sensei, finding his expression to be strangely understanding from the one eye she could see. Kakashi wasn’t the issue though. Her words weren’t alien to someone who didn’t know her. Her teammates on either side of her however, they were clearly much more curious. Sakura could feel their questioning stares burning into her, waiting for an explanation, promising questions once they were dismissed. She couldn’t handle that right now. "I'm sorry." She was gone, running as fast as her feet could take her.

Her team were no doubt confused, and the questions would likely be worse now. That was a problem for future Sakura.

{I}

It was less of a problem for future Sakura as it was an insurmountable hurdle. She hadn't gone straight home, which she was realising had been a mistake. Instead, Sakura had wasted time, running off to a training ground and letting her frustrations loose on a poor training post. Her hands ached. The skin on her knuckles was already healing, a cruel reminder of what she was. To think she had spent all these years believing she might have had a kekkei-genkai, something special that would have been her trump card as a shinobi. Reality sucked.

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

She sighed. Naruto. He and Sasuke had been standing outside her door for almost an hour now. They were both so stubborn. Just like her. It was part of why they were all such good friends, why they had stuck together all this time. That's how she knew she couldn’t stay here with them. They both hated the Kyuubi, for different but totally understandable reasons. Once they learned the truth, Sakura knew how they would react. Stubbornly.

Sakura rolled to the edge of her bed and sat up. Her eyes flickered over to the bags sitting on the ground. All packed and ready. "Come in."

They entered cautiously, their eyes catching sight of the packed bags. "Is something wrong?" Naruto asked gently.

Everything was wrong. Sakura sighed. But it wasn’t their fault. It was no one's fault. Even their reactions couldn’t be blamed. Still, they deserved the truth. "I need to tell you both something." How she wished she had taken the time to write it down in preparation. Oh well, time to wing it.

And wing it she did. Sakura surprised herself at both the confidence and conciseness of her words as she explained to both of her friends what she had learnt for herself over the week just past. Neither interrupted her, nor tried to play it off as a joke like she expected them to. To their credit, they stood silent and attentive until she finished speaking. Somehow, that didn’t make Sakura feel any better. She wanted them to react, to play right into her fears, to justify her own doubt. But they weren’t, and that just wouldn’t do.

"Well?" She broke the silence after a few painful seconds. It hadn’t been intentional, but her question came out in a biting tone. Sakura didn’t want them to think she was angry, but she needed them to say something. Weren't they angry? Scared? Anything? "I'll leave, I promise. Just… say something. Please."

Sasuke was the first to speak. "Wait here." With that he grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him out of the room without another word.

The next few seconds were torture for poor Sakura. She could hear them exchanging harsh whispers, but their exact words eluded her. Her imagination could only focus on the worst possibility. They were sharing their disgust at the news, discussing what they would do now that they knew. They had to feel betrayed. There was no chance that she could stay here, let alone remain friends with either of them. Her very existence was nothing more than a constant reminder of the Kyuubi, of everything they had lost.

Sakura had half a mind to save the boys the hassle of kicking her out. It would be so easy to just grab her bags and leave through the window, to run to the Hokage and put in a request to be moved to a different team. If removing herself from their lives was the only thing she could do, then she would do it in a heartbeat. It would be agony for her, to cut away everything that was precious to her, but for them, Sakura would live with it. She got to her feet and sauntered over to her bags, swinging a pack over her shoulders. The boys had gone silent, or perhaps they had just left already. She was only a few feet from the window when the door swung open, and she froze.

"Sakura?"

Sasuke's voice was just as unreadable as always. Sakura didn’t dare turn around to face them. In whatever way they were looking at her, Sakura couldn’t handle it right now. "It's okay. I'll go. You'll never have to see me again, I promise. I… I'll understand if it doesn’t mean anything now, but… thank you. Both of you. These last few years with the two of you have been more than I could have hoped for. No matter what happens, I will always consider you my friends."

She only managed one more step before she was forced to stop, two hands gripping each of her wrists. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. How angry could they be?

"Sakura…" Naruto's tone was much easier to read, but why did he sound like he was in pain? "You… you don’t want to leave… do you?"

Of course she didn’t! But how could she stay? They couldn’t possibly trust her anymore. She could barely trust herself. Did they not understand?

"She's not leaving," Sasuke said sternly, tugging on her wrist just hard enough to make her look back at him. His eyes were hard, and expression perfectly schooled. "Not unless she wants to."

"But I…"

"But nothing!" Naruto butted in loudly. He didn’t have quite the tact that Sasuke did, so when he tugged on Sakura's wrist, he all but spun her around on the spot. "Who cares about some stupid fox. You're still you, right? Then nothing has changed. You're still our friend, and we don’t turn our backs on friends, ever."

Sasuke swatted the blonde up the back of the head. "Stop yelling, idiot," he chided. "Use your inside voice like we taught you."

They were acting like nothing was wrong. As if Sakura hadn’t said a thing. Idiots. The both of them. Such stubborn, thick-headed, loveable idiots. "Are you… sure?" Sakura's voice was so quiet, it surprised even her. Even if the boys were insistent on acting like nothing had changed, everything had, for her at least.

Sasuke crossed his arms while Naruto was all too quick to swipe Sakura's pack from her shoulders. "We're sure," Sasuke said. "What you are doesn’t matter to us. You should know us better than that."

"Yeah! I mean, Sasuke's a crummy Uchiha, and we're still friends with him." That earnt Naruto another swat.

"You're one to talk, ramen boy."

"Them's fighting words, bastard."

"Dead last."

"That's it!"

Whatever childish squabble they were about to devolve into was stopped dead in its tracks as Sakura swept them both into a tight hug, burying her face in their shoulders. It was all she could do to make sure they didn’t see her tears, even if she was sure they knew she was crying. "You two are the best." She would no doubt suffer for daring to risk inflating either of their egos with her words, but she didn’t care. Nothing a few carefully placed words couldn’t fix later on. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

{I}

Sakura wasn’t sure what to expect of the following day, but being escorted by her new teammates to their team's meeting place was less unexpected and more strangely embarrassing. The way the two boys shadowed her, putting on their best tough guy acts as they matched every distasteful glance in Sakura's direction with a pointed glare; it was adorable, and completely humiliating. They either didn’t notice or didn’t care about how much extra attention their behaviour was drawing to her. Not that she had the heart to say anything. Their intention was sweet, and that was all that mattered to Sakura.

They arrived at the training ground without incident, and much like the day before it became a waiting game. It seemed the first day wasn’t a fluke with Kakashi's tardiness. Sakura didn’t mind; it gave her time to hype herself up for whatever they would have to do. Whatever it may be, she just hoped she wouldn’t drag her team down with her, not after all the trust and faith they had put in her.

"Ah, I see you chose to come back," Kakashi said, appearing in a swirl of leaves. Much to her surprise, he didn’t look upset with Sakura at all. "Not going to run off again, are you?"

Sakura was on her feet before either of the boys could jump to her defence. If she was going to be a real shinobi, then she had to stand on her own two feet. Relying on comrades was all good and well, but it meant nothing if they couldn’t rely on her at some point as well. She smiled up at Kakashi with a fire in her eyes. "Never again."

His one visible eye curved into a weird sort of smile. "Glad to hear it. Now, why don’t we try again with your introduction from yesterday?"

"Oh, right." Sakura glanced back at her team, receiving an enthusiastic thumbs up and slight nod respectively. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I dislike bullies and Mizuki. I like my teammates and reading, and my dream…"

Being free. That's what she had said. It was still true, but now she had taken the time to think on it some more. Sakura wanted to be free. Free of the Kyuubi, of the burden she carried. She wanted to be free of the stares and silent judgement of the village who saw her as nothing more than a reminder of loss and pain, a ticking time-bomb just waiting to wreak havoc. Freedom was still her goal, but after a long night of talking it out with her friends, Sakura now had a plan on how to achieve it. Her dream was to earn her freedom; to overcome everything in her path and show everyone she was strong enough to bear the weight of her curse.

"My dream is to become the most powerful jinchuuriki."

The way Kakashi's eye widened in surprise was priceless. His sight drifted lazily between her teammates, just as surprised to see neither of them reacting to Sakura's claim. "Hmm, well aren’t you three just full of surprises," he said. "Keep it up, and you might just make genin."

"Wait, what?" Naruto asked, looking at his teammates dumbly. Sasuke and Sakura both shared in his confusion.

"That's right," Kakashi said, holding up two bells. "Graduating the academy was only the first step to becoming a shinobi. Everyone must pass an extra test to prove themselves. Sadly, I don’t have time for three students, so only two of you can pass this time around."

"The hell!"

Sakura frowned. "What happens to the person who doesn’t pass?"

Kakashi shrugged. "They’ll get put into the system. You'll be left to train by yourself and help fill out any genin squad that needs an extra member on the day until the next rotation, or until a team has an open spot. It's not the end of the world, but you shouldn’t expect any special training or growth until you can find a proper team."

"You gotta be shitting me!" The back of Naruto's head may as well have been a magnet for Sasuke's hand. "Gah! Stop doing that."

Sakura ignored them. "Is there no other choice?"

"One of you can give up a spot of your own choice," Kakashi said, scratching his head. "Or two of you can vote the third one out. Of course, taking the test and earning your spot is the fairest way. Then again, the shinobi life isn’t always fair, so don't let morality hold you back. This is your future after all."

"I'll go."

"What?!" Naruto's indignant cry was so loud it made Sakura's ears ring.

"I'll go," Sakura repeated, gesturing to her teammates. "Take them." She smiled. "They need more help than me anyway."

Sasuke snorted and for once Naruto was speechless.

"Do I report to the mission office?" Sakura asked, getting a nod. She turned to leave, hoping to avoid any arguments. Her heart had already been prepared to be forced to walk away from her team, so to do so in a way that ensured they could both keep reaching for their dreams was easy. It wasn’t like she was giving up on being a shinobi. Even if lacking a team was a disadvantage, Sakura wouldn’t let that hold her back. She would keep up with them no matter what.

Sasuke watched her walk away with a frown on his face. Then, with grunt and his hands in his pockets, he followed after her. Naruto stood dumbly for a few seconds, glancing between his quickly fading teammates and his seemingly uncaring sensei.

With a nervous chuckle he pointed after his friends. "I'm just gonna… you know… see ya," he said, shuffling away awkwardly. "Guys, wait up."

Kakashi tucked the bells back into his pouch and laughed softly to himself. "How interesting."

{I}

"Idiots!"

Sakura couldn’t believe this. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the two following her before it was too late. Her selfless act, her sacrifice, all made pointless by pure stupidity.

"What the hell were you two thinking?"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "I didn’t like him."

"Yeah, he was kind of creepy," Naruto said. "Besides, this way we can all just go into the system like he said. Then we can train together like we have been, and maybe they’ll find a sensei who'll take the three of us together. There's gotta be something, right. They can't just split us up after everything. Orphans stick together, and that's that."

Sasuke smacked Naruto again.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?"

"He's an idiot, but he's right," Sasuke said, ignoring Naruto. "We've gotten this far together. There's no reason to think we can't keep growing with each other's help. Sensei or no sensei, it doesn’t matter."

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You are both so incredibly stupid," she muttered. "But… thank you."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "So, what now?"

"Uhh, I guess we report to the mission office and see what they say," Sakura said. To be honest, she hadn't heard of such a system, but it made sense. The academy obviously kept their teachings a bit more optimistic, gearing up and coming graduates for team-based roles. Still, there were always going to be outliers. Odd number of graduates, the deaths of aspiring shinobi, or even just those that washed out for various reasons. There was obviously a less talked about safety net in place for all of those who couldn’t fit into a full genin team.

"Alright, alright, you've twisted my arm," Kakashi drawled, appearing out of nowhere and scaring the group of teens. "I'll take you all."

The three shared an odd look, and it was Sasuke who spoke up first. "No."

Naruto waved to the jonin. "Yep. Sorry, but we're good. We don’t need your pity."

Kakashi held up his hands in defeat. "No, no. Nothing like that. I just mean to say you pass the actual test, so all three of you are genin now."

"The actual test?" Sakura inquired.

"The true purpose of the genin test is to prove that you can work together as a team and not leave anyone behind," Kakashi explained. "You three did it in a very… unconventional way, but you all proved that you would stick together and look out for each other, even at a cost to yourselves. So, you pass. Now, why don't I start on your training. Sound good?"

Sakura hummed thoughtfully. A glance at Sasuke showed that he was waiting for her answer before making a move. Naruto would follow along with them no matter what, so looking at him was pointless, though she could practically feel him pouting right now. A mischievous glint shimmered in her eyes, and she smiled innocently at Kakashi. "Thank you, but no," she said. "A team is supposed to be able to trust each other. I trust my teammates, but you chose to play mind games with us and make us think our futures were at risk. How are we supposed to trust you now? I think we will wait for another sensei to be available. I hope you understand." She turned her nose up and marched off with an all too pleased smile plastered on her face.

"What she said," Sasuke said, following her lead.

Naruto grinned and patted Kakashi reassuringly on the back before silently joining his team. Kakashi was left standing in the middle of the street with a blank expression under his mask. Damn kids. Just what kind of game was the Hokage playing at, putting three brats like that together. He hung his head. Well, at the very least, his time as a sensei would be entertaining. This iteration of team seven had the potential to be just as unruly as all the previous, if not more so. If only their parents could see them all now. What splendid shinobi they would become.

Kakashi sighed. This was going to be painful… for him that was.