"A ninja is someone who uses chakra to fight!"
"And I taught you how to use chakra last week!"
"Does anyone remember?"
It was the first class of the morning at the Ninja School. Iruka, with a scar on his nose, was planning to review what he had taught previously before starting the new lecture.
Iruka looked around the classroom. Some students were playing with the dog, some were daydreaming, and some were sneaking snacks...
Seeing this, a vein appeared on Iruka's forehead. Just as he was about to get angry, a small hand was raised.
"Okay, Sakura-san, you answer."
When Iruka saw Sakura raise her hand, he smiled slightly.
"Chakra is a type of energy created by combining a person's physical and spiritual strength."
"By combining it with hand seals, you can..."
Haruno Sakura answered expressionlessly.
Since she had decided to be the best, she couldn't miss any chance to stand out.
Although it was unusual for Sakura to act this way, she was determined to master the Yin Seal.
"That's correct. Please take a seat."
Iruka nodded and motioned for Sakura to sit. Then, he turned to the students sitting in the back row, trying hard to suppress his frustration.
"Naruto! Kiba! Choji!"
"Get outside the classroom!"
Haruno Sakura watched quietly and pulled out her notes as Iruka began his morning lecture.
Whenever she didn't understand something, she raised her hand and asked immediately. She didn't want to miss any details.
By the end of the morning, Haruno Sakura sighed, looking at her notebook filled with notes.
There was still so much to learn...
"Hey, Sakura, you're especially serious today~~"
Yamanaka Ino peered over, marveling at the dense content in Sakura's notebook.
"When have I not been serious?"
Haruno Sakura closed her notebook and looked at Ino.
"I mean, you're especially focused today."
Ino said with a serious expression.
Then, she seemed to notice something and pointed to Haruno Sakura's hair.
"Where's the headband I gave you earlier?"
"It's too much trouble to wear it every day, so I stopped wearing it."
Haruno Sakura set her notebook down, took out her lunchbox, and began eating.
"Eh? Sakura feels different today."
Ino came closer and examined her friend carefully.
Not only was Sakura not wearing her headband, but she also wasn't wearing a skirt. Instead, she was dressed simply in a black short-sleeved shirt, white ninja pants, and ninja shoes.
It was simple, almost like a boy.
"Yeah?"
Haruno Sakura remained calm, ignoring Ino, who was still sticking to her. She was just planning to find a quiet spot to eat and then practice chakra control.
After all, she had already refined her chakra, so training like tree-climbing and water-walking was next on her list.
"Sakura! Wait for me!"
Seeing Sakura leave alone, Ino hurried after her.
Under a large tree at the edge of the playground, Haruno Sakura sat quietly, eating dumplings her mother had made.
Ino was still following her around, chatting away.
Haruno Sakura didn't mind. Since she had accepted her fate, she had to accept Ino too.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the distance.
A few students from the ninja school were surrounding a blond boy, pointing at him, and then a fight broke out. The blond boy was clearly being beaten.
Ino looked over and commented calmly,
"That person's getting bullied again."
Her tone was indifferent, as if she had seen this many times and wasn't surprised anymore.
"Why do they all bully him?"
Haruno Sakura swallowed her food and suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?"
"Sakura, what's up with you today? Why are you asking that?"
Ino was confused.
Haruno Sakura had witnessed this kind of bullying many times, right?
Sakura seemed different today…
Looking at the older students bullying the blond boy, Haruno Sakura put down her chopsticks and walked toward them.
After all, he's my future teammate and savior. I'll help him if I can...
"Eh? Sakura, what are you doing?"
Ino hurriedly followed, feeling anxious.
"Stop!"
Haruno Sakura shouted, her voice sharp.
Everyone turned their attention to her.
The blond boy on the ground also looked up at her instinctively.
A pink-haired girl stood in the sunlight, looking at the bullies with righteous anger.
Her bright pink hair shone so brightly that the blond-haired boy could hardly keep his eyes open.
"What? It's just a girl."
The leader of the bullies sneered at Haruno Sakura and spoke dismissively.
"Get out of here, or I'll beat you up too!"
The others also glared at Haruno Sakura.
"I already told Iruka-sensei about the bullying here."
"If you don't want your parents to be called, you'd better let him go."
Haruno Sakura's fists clenched as she looked at the gang, the last of her chakra gathering in her hands.
"Hah?"
"You want to help him with that weak excuse?"
"Do you even know who he is?"
The leader scoffed, clearly uninterested in Haruno Sakura's words.
With that, he kicked the blond boy who was still on the ground.
"No matter who he is, it's wrong to bully him. This goes against Hokage-sama's will of fire."
Haruno Sakura's eyebrows furrowed.
"Shout, get rid of her!"
The leader of the bullies scowled when Haruno Sakura mentioned the Will of Fire, then quickly ordered his two lackeys to charge at her.
"Danger! Get out of the way!"
The blond-haired boy finally spoke up, warning her.
But Haruno Sakura's expression didn't change as the ninja school students charged toward her.
Fighting was her specialty!
She exhaled lightly and punched one of the attackers in the face, using her chakra-enhanced strength.
Bang!
To everyone's shock, the student was sent flying backward, crashing hard to the ground.
"Huh?"
Haruno Sakura stood frozen, surprised by her own strength.
"Wow! Sakura, you're amazing!"
Ino jumped up, cheering for her friend.
"Boss, it's the eldest daughter of the Yamanaka family..."
The bullies, recognizing Ino, hesitated.
"Shout, this kid's lucky. Let's go!"