Chapter Seven: Chunin Exams (Part Five)

Edited

Sakura stood next to Anko, casually wondering why she had been dragged into T&I. She knew it had something to do with her "mission" from her sensei, but why did everyone else have to be here?

She saw Kakashi-sensei, soon to be just Kakashi once these exams were done, Ino's dad, Shikamaru's dad, and Choji's dad. She didn't bother mentioning Ibiki-sensei, seeing as how this entire building was his playground.

She knew it was also Anko-sensei's, but for the next few weeks, the exams would be her little playground.

Besides, Sakura had to go find Hiro-sensei and learn as much as she could about Training Ground 44. She had heard the rumors about it, but wanted to separate fact from fear.

But first, she had to see what Anko-sensei wanted with her.

"Alright brat, spill what you know." Anko said, smacking her little protegee on the back. Sakura didn't even wince. Damn, she felt so proud of her little student.

"All three teams that graduated this year from the Academy have entered the exams. Another team, a year older than us, have also entered. At first glance, they didn't seem like much since they had fallen for the genjutsu at the beginning of the day. However, with a second glance, they seemed like a threat. There were two males, one female. A Hyuuga who seemed like he was better than anyone else, a boy with damaged chakra coils, and a girl who didn't look like she belonged to any big clan. Anyone would be quick to call them nondescript." She explained calmly, shrugging her shoulders like this was no big deal. Anko could barely suppress her happy grin.

Her student was meant to be a Hunter nin. She could see it, Ibiki could see it, hell, even Kakashi could see it. Now, all that was left was trying to convince a few more senior members.

If they were convinced, then Sakura would be officially trained as a Hunter.

"Rock Lee has badly damaged chakra coils that are also underdeveloped. Which leaves him only Taijutsu to study. He was very fast, too fast for the eyes to follow. He wears leg warmers, but they're most likely hiding weights. The girl didn't show any special signs of being a master, but I wouldn't put it pass her to have a few tricks up her sleeves. The Hyuuga, his name was Neji. He seems quick to dismiss others until proven otherwise. I'm guessing he's part of the Branch family?" She added, unsure. She knew Hinata was from the Main house, and she only had a sister, which meant the the boy had to at least be a cousin of hers.

"I would say they have good team dynamics, excellent skills, and will be a threat in the upcoming exams." Ibiki added, to which Sakura nodded. She liked that he had pretty much summed up everything she had just said.

She wanted to learn how to do that.

It was pretty quiet as the others in the room took in her deductions and observations. She hadn't told them everything, however, she would fill in Anko-sensei about the team from Sand. They were way more dangerous than anyone from her own village.

She would need some more training to get to their level, and she wasn't sure if she could.

"Well, it looks like you turned out to be quite a keeper, Sakura." Ibiki commented, giving the girl an approving look. She appreciated that. It was more than Kakashi-sensei had ever given her in the long months she had known him.

"I can't believe you turned sweet Sakura into a spy." Inoichi finally said, shaking his head. He was impressed, he really was, but he had expected this kind of skill from someone...better. Like Shikamaru.

He knew Sakura, knew her a lot better than anyone else here. She was built for a desk job; a paper ninja, so to speak. She wasn't the kind to observe.

She wasn't built to be in this line of work; he knew it, his friends knew it, and Kakashi probably even knew it.

"I didn't turn her into anything she didn't want to be," Anko snapped, her eyes narrowing. She had seen the look of doubt in his eyes, the way he had all but dismissed her sudden skills. Sakura, however, hadn't missed it.

"You doubt me, Inoichi-san." She said softly, even though she had wanted to shout it. She should've known that no one would believe in her. "Why?" She asked.

Inoichi didn't have an answer, not after seeing this girl before him. She had seen through his statement and went straight to the truth. He had watched her eyes, the most expressive things about her, and saw them turn cold. She had shut down her emotions like a switch. All because of one thing he had said.

"What are you hoping to gain from this training?"

"A sensei who doesn't dismiss it," she answered quickly. Again, he couldn't read her.

"You already have a sensei." He answered back.

"He's not-" Sakura started to say, only to be cut off by Anko-sensei grabbing her shoulders. She felt her sensei's anger radiating off of her.

"Sakura here is going to be my student after the exams. Paperwork has already been filled out and approved. You boys are looking at the newest recruit for the Hunter nin program." Anko stated.

Sakura swore she could hear a mouse piss, it was so silent.

These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.

Itachi: 82
Gaara: 75
Shikamaru: 25
Neji: 17
Harem : 8
Sasori: 6
Madara: 6
Kiba: 4
Deidara: 3
Ino: 2
Kankuro: 2
Hidan: 1
Zetsu: 1

Temari x Naruto: 6
Hinata x Naruto: 17
Ino x Sai: 3
Temari x Shikamaru: 5
Sasuke x Hinata: 2
Sasuke x Karin: 4
Sasuke x Temari: 2
Tenten x Neji: 2
Tenten x Naruto: 2