Sakura rested her arm on her head, crossed her legs, and lay on the steps of the rooftop, staring absentmindedly at the drifting clouds in the sky.
With just over a month left until the Chunin Exams, that meant there was still more than a month before Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha would unfold.
However, this time, things were different. The Land of Earth had also joined the fray.
This was due to Sakura's previous tactic of controlling resources, which had proven highly effective.
As a result, the Land of Earth had no choice but to ease its relations with Konoha in order to obtain more resources.
During this period, there were some shady figures trying to seize a share, but thanks to Sakura's advanced theories, combined with the pressure from the ninja and the support of the Daimyo, anyone who tried to pull any dirty tricks was swiftly eliminated.
After all, this world belonged to the ninjas. Even though the Daimyo may issue orders, they couldn't afford to ignore the ninjas.
The question was, how would Orochimaru launch his Konoha Collapse Plan?
If it's the same as in the original storyline, it wouldn't be too bad. But what if Orochimaru decided to target Onoki, that old man who was always complaining about his back pain?
But it didn't matter much. In fact, it would be even better. Onoki wasn't like Rasa. He was an old stubborn man who could still fight fiercely at seventy.
If Orochimaru did target Onoki, then he could personally experience the power of Dust Release.
Sakura's thoughts drifted, and just as she was lost in her musings, a sudden commotion erupted from the ninja classroom below.
Sakura's expression changed, and she quickly vanished from her spot. She immediately stepped up the wall and peered through the window to watch the two protagonists of the event.
A blonde boy and a black-haired boy were kissing each other on the lips, in full view of everyone's astonished gaze!
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other in disbelief, their eyes wide open, and almost simultaneously bent over to the side, gagging in disgust.
"Naruto, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!"
The boy with the Uchiha clan crest on his back covered his chest, still gagging, while giving the blonde-haired boy a fierce glare.
"I'm the one who should say that!"
"My first kiss was supposed to be for Sakura!" Naruto gritted his teeth, holding back his nausea as he spoke.
Sakura, who had been watching eagerly with a smile on her face, suddenly couldn't bring herself to smile anymore.
Go find Hinata.
She glanced at Hinata nearby, who was biting her handkerchief in envy as she looked at Sasuke.
Sakura didn't want to pay attention to the commotion any longer and returned to the rooftop.
That Naruto really couldn't stop bothering her. She needed to find an opportunity to make Naruto aware of Hinata's feelings for him.
Just as Sakura was zoning out on the rooftop, Iruka entered the classroom to maintain order and started dividing the students into new teams.
"Yo."
"How come our Anbu squad leader is here by herself?"
Just as Sakura was lost in thought, a figure appeared next to her.
Sakura glanced at the newcomer with a bit of annoyance.
"Watch how you speak."
"By seniority, shouldn't you be calling me something else?"
Kakashi stared at the little girl in front of him, feeling a bit speechless.
He had been hiding, but he couldn't avoid her.
Her master was the Third Hokage, and the Third's disciple was Jiraiya, who in turn trained the Fourth Hokage. Kakashi himself was a disciple of the Fourth Hokage.
By seniority, this girl was from Jiraiya's generation... and that meant he should call her "Master's Junior"...
"...Little Master."
He was supposed to call her "Master," but Sakura disliked the term, so Kakashi had to call her by a lower title. He should thank Sakura for this.
Kakashi opened his eyes wide and said, somewhat helplessly.
When they first met, Sakura had called him "Kakashi-senpai," but after they became more familiar, she would occasionally tease him with it.
"Good~~"
Sakura smiled, casually reaching over to ruffle Kakashi's white hair.
The benefit of being taught by the Third Hokage was that it came with a huge generational advantage!
Even Minato Namikaze would have to call her "Little Master" if he stood in front of her.
"What's up?"
After the discomfort with Naruto was somewhat alleviated by Kakashi, Sakura smiled as she looked at him.
"It's about the team assignments. What do you think?"
Kakashi mentioned the Third Hokage's arrangement.
When he first found out that he would be teaching Naruto and Sasuke, he thought he would take it a bit more seriously.
But then he learned that the final member of the team would be Sakura.
He felt that it might be better for him not to take the job as their teacher.
Becoming an Anbu squad leader at twelve, the weight of that title was something Kakashi understood very well after ten years in Anbu.
Even Itachi Uchiha became an Anbu squad leader at thirteen.
And this girl became a squad leader with a special Jonin rank.
If it weren't for the Third Hokage holding her back, not wanting her to become a Jonin so soon, Sakura would probably be of the same rank as Kakashi by now.
Kakashi himself became a Jonin at twelve due to the special treatment during wartime, but Sakura had reached Jonin rank during peacetime, and her achievements were even more impressive.
If Kakashi and Sakura were to fight, Sakura could summon a slug using Summoning Jutsu, and Kakashi would have no good way to deal with her.
Not to mention Sakura's partnership with Gamabunta and her exceptional medical ninjutsu...
To face the upcoming Chunin Exams, Kakashi had to pretend that such a powerhouse was just a Genin. Kakashi was powerless to complain to the Third Hokage about this.
"What do you mean?"
"Kakashi 'sensei'?"
Sakura emphasized the word "sensei," clearly displeased.
Not only was Kakashi dissatisfied, but Sakura herself was also feeling unhappy.
She had worked hard in Anbu for four years, and now they were treating her like this. Even when her position was restored, it was only at the rank of a regular Jonin, and she was still a former Anbu member.
The benefits of Anbu were something normal ninjas couldn't compare to...
She might have to tighten her belt with her monthly expenses from now on.
Kakashi stared at Sakura, who was acting sarcastically, feeling that their future days together would be long and full of challenges.
"...What I mean is, about the upcoming Chunin Exams."
Kakashi's tone became a bit more serious.
"According to the intel, it seems someone might try to use the Chunin Exams for their own purposes."
Sarutobi Hiruzen not only wanted Sakura to stabilize the situation during the exams, but also wanted her to handle any unexpected events. Since the exams would involve writing, that was manageable. However, once they entered the Forest of Death, if anything went wrong, Sakura would be the fastest and most capable of responding.
Hiruzen's true goal was for Sakura to protect Naruto during the exams.
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