Sakura's Journey to Peace

Chapter 10

Sakura sighed as she woke up. She looked around and saw they were basically at the tower, she looked over and saw Kabuto talking to his teammates. "What's happening?" Sakura mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Sakura-chan! You're awake!" Naruto beamed. She nodded.

"We're going through this door, I wish us both luck." Kabuto said, before disappearing into the door. She looked down at Sasuke. "Why didn't you wake me up.?" Sakura asked, slowly getting down. "You were exhausted." He replied, before throwing one of her arms over his shoulder and helping in through the door as Naruto enters too.

"I'm okay now, Sasuke." She said, slowly taking her arm off his shoulder and giving him a soft smile. "O-Okay." He said, smiling back slightly with a blush before it disappears. "Say, Say what're we supposed to do?" Naruto asked, looking around cluelessly. "Give me the scrolls." Sakura said and they did so.

She opened them and they widened their eyes. She pushed both boys back. "It's a summoning scroll!" She said, as the scroll started smoking as she threw them away. The smoke cleared, revealing Iruka-Sensei. "Yo. It's been a long time." Iruka smirked.

Sakura sighs and falls on her behind with Sasuke after they just interrogated Iruka. Naruto is overexcited and had so much energy. "YAAY!-" Naruto cheered. "Shut up." Sakura groaned. Iruka explained the writing on the board and Sakura sighs, laying on Sasuke lap.

Sakura grabbed the goggles from her side belt and put them on. After all this, they stood inside the arena for the third exam with the rest of the Genin. She sent a smile to Ino, who looked at her concerned. The Hokage explained everything and Hayate asked if anyone wants to forfeit. She grunted, clutching the curse mark.

"Sakura. You should quit these preliminaries." Sasuke said, and Sakura grit her teeth, getting a sense of Deja Vu. "L-Look, you haven't been yourself ever since you jumped infront of me and got worked over by that Orochimaru guy. That bruise hurts even now, right...?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

Sakura didn't like this. It's like their roles have switched. "Please.. quit." Sasuke said, looking down. Sakura refused. "You're in no condition to fight properly, Sakura!" Sasuke said, trying to get her to quit. "Shut up!" She whisper shouted. "I understand!" He said, but he was attracting attention. "Be quiet!" She hissed.

"But you've been enduring the pain this whole time, right!?" Sasuke asked. "Please. Be quiet." Sakura grunted. "No matter what you say, Sakura. I'm telling the proctor." Sasuke said and started raising his hand, but stopped when he saw Kabuto raising his.

Kabuto said about how he can't continue and he left. Sasuke went to raise his hand but Sakura grabbed his wrist, keeping it down. "Be quiet about this bruise." Sakura ordered. He grit his teeth. "Why are you acting tough like that?!" He asked, concerned for her well-being, which was very unlike Sasuke.

"I don't want to watch you suffer anymore.!" Sasuke said and Sakura clutches the curse mark tighter. "This has nothing to do with you, it's none of your business!" Sakura replied, annoyed. "Oi, Sakura-chan this is so unlike you! What are you doing, putting up a front, you idiot!? Sasuke-teme is just worried about you!" Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes comical.

Sakura was the one who always wanted to prove her strength, to prove she's not weak. To prove she's not useless, or annoying. She wants to fight strong people so they can say. 'You're strong.', anything. But people only ever saw her as Team 7's civilian teammate. Naruto and Sasuke became the strongest shinobi in their time and every other time before. She was going to beat that.

"Naruto, Sasuke!" Sakura said, making Naruto stop clenching his fists and Sasuke look at her, confused. "I want too fight you both!" She declared, making them shocked. "Now then, we will begin the preliminaries." Hayate said, and a screen appeared from the wall and a bunch of names spun a couple times before they landed on two names.