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chapter four

"That's the problem with putting others first; you've taught them you come second."

Unknown

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Panthers know things. They know things no one else knows. This was something that multiple history books agreed on. The panthers were some of the wisest creatures out there, and they knew practically everything that went on in the world, both because they had informants, and because their kind were some of the best infiltrators and spies.

Team 7 needed to keep track of several things, if they were going to be able to diz everything. Sakura decided that it would be best to make a summoning contract with them, because for now, she was on her own. Sasuke and Naruto had a reason to be around each other- they were best friends, and their parents were close. Kakashi was basically the adopted eldest son of Minato Namikaze, and was always around. Sakura was just a random civilian girl who had no reason to be around the son of the Hokage and the boy that was second in line to the most powerful clan in the village. They weren't even going to the academy yet, so Sakura had no reason to even know the boys.

Sakura trusted Kakashi with her life, but the chances were that she wasn't going to be seeing him often since she was so young and Kakashi had his own life. If she was going to stay in the loop, she needed a panther summon.

She also knew that if she was going to get panthers as her summon... well, doing that was dangerous. She needed a strong ninja that wasn't going to question where she was going. The only person she knew of that fit that criteria was Kakashi.

Sakura knew that if anyone saw her, they'd see her as just some five-year-old kid, and probably take her out of Kakashi's neighborhood. Maybe they would try to find her parents. Sakura also knew that Kakashi woke up quickly because his paranoia caused him to sleep lightly. She had diagnosed the PTSD the first time she saw him, and she saw hints of it hidden in Naruto and Sasuke. She was a doctor- she definitely wasn't stupid. Sakura also knew it was in herself because she also didn't sleep very well.

Knowing Kakashi, he probably set traps for people who came through the windows, so she knew the door was the way to go. Sakura prayed that the neighbors didn't notice her, and she rolled out into the open, walking up the sidewalk. She knocked on the door quickly, waiting impatiently for Kakashi to open it. She scanned her surroundings, not seeing any of the neighbors looking at her. Although she supposed that made sense because it was the middle of the night.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura perked up as the door opened, but groaned when she saw Sasuke at the door instead of their jonin sensei who was still an ANBU. "You don't seem very pleased to see me."

"I must admit, I'm really not very pleased to see you," Sakura said, crossing her hands over her chest. "What are you doing here?" She asked, meeting Sasuke's eyes. They were so different than they used to be. He was softer, eyes almost smiling. He was getting better, like she thought he would be. She bit her lip to avoid smiling at this.

"I'm here because my father sent me here," Sasuke told her, gesturing back at Kakashi's house. "I'm only going to be here for tonight, and then I'm going home." That didn't explain what he was doing there, but it did explain how he got there. "Now, what are you doing knocking on Kakashi's door in the middle of the night? You look like you're going somewhere, too. Where is your backpack?"

Sakura frowned, knowing there was no way out of this. She could either play it cool and not let Sasuke know what was going on, and he could find out for himself... or she could just tell him and save both of their times. "Hidden behind the tree in the backyard."