Sakura wondered exactly how training was going to be handled considering she apparently had two senseis and both of vastly different skill sets that she didn't specialise in. Then again, if anything it was a good opportunity to expand on her arsenal before her boys joined up with her.

Sakura sat cross-legged nestled between a pair of exposed roots thinking hard about what she wanted out of her training sessions. After all, she had accomplished her goal of getting into the Academy early and graduating. Now, if there was any rule that stuck with her from her first time through the Academy it was, "A shinobi never set off without a plan of action."

And she didn't remember that rule because she was a strategist or even because a plan allowed mental stability or increased moral in a team; no, it was none of those logical things. Instead it was the fact that it was the only rule Inner screamed every time Naruto ran off ahead of the group because he had let his emotions get the better of him.

It's hard to forget a rule like that when it's associated with someone you love, even if it is the biggest knucklehead around, Sakura smiled thoughtfully.

"You're chipper this morning, Sakura-chan,"

The six-year-old girl looked up at the ANBU bodyguard turned sensei with a confused and slightly startled expression. It had been a while since the last time someone had been able to get the jump on her and she knew for a fact that Genma wasn't the type of mute or completely hide his chakra.

Genma looked worried at the sudden change in her demeaner due to his arrival. "Is something the matter?"

Sakura shook her head quickly, "You just startled me is all." She offered, "I was lost in thought."

Genma gave her a cheeky smile as he casually plopped down beside her. There were very few shinobi who were like him; basically, casual and easy-going. Many saw it as a trait that needed to be extinguished to best succeed – a form of discipline if you will. It was a changing development when Sakura first graduated the Academy the first time.

Flashes of Sasuke's body with a senbon in his throat filled her mind as she watched Kakashi plunge his arm through the chest of a fifteen-year-old boy. Shinobi were not only weapons for their village and deserved to live their lives just as much as anyone else they served to protect.

Haku was too young, now that she thought about it.

"Genma-sensei, are you going to train Naruto and Sasuke as well when they graduate?" Sakura asked.

The man blinked and ruffled her hair, "Naturally. Unfortunate to say, I don't think the Hokage is going to permit you to attend the Chuunin exams without a team present."

"That's okay." She told him simply. "It'd be a lot better with Naruto and Sasuke with me anyway. We'll power through it like no body's business!" As she clutched her fists in happy determination.

"Without a doubt in my mind." Genma followed up. "So, knowing Kakashi's track record, I don't think he's going to be here for another 3 or 4 hours so morning training will be up to me. Any ideas or shall I pick?"

Sakura had wanted to organise her own schedule regarding her training and for the last hour constructing her arguments in her head while she was waiting; listing her current abilities, expertise and flaws but now Genma had just thrown it all out of the window by just asking her what she wanted to do.

It felt very strange to her.

Even Kakashi-sensei wasn't that encouraging or diverse when he finally began their training in Wave. Then again, she didn't exactly have a lot of standards back when she was twelve-years-old.

"Oh, um, I'm currently having no problem with my taijutsu and genjutsu, ninjutsu's okay but only the basics, I still need to increase my reserves first before I can start on anything more. Do you know any kenjutsu?" Sakura suddenly asked excitedly. "I've been practicing with a tanto."

The man honestly hadn't expected such an organised response, but he put that aside and focused on his new student's question. "I don't know much, there aren't a lot of kenjutsu masters around Konoha that I can gather tips or refer you to either; but I am a senbon master if you wish to learn about them."

"Hopefully not the one from your mouth, Genma-sensei, I have standards too."

"Brat!"

The two of them broke out into a fit of laughter as Genma tried to tackle her to the ground as friendly punishment but the roots were in the way.

Sakura never had an older brother in her life and she often wondered what Sasuke saw in Itachi, considering what she saw was vastly different. But now, Sakura couldn't help the idea of Genma as an older brother figure float in her head for a little bit longer than necessary before pushing it aside. It was probably too intimate a thought for Sakura to allow to ever see the light of day.

Once the two of them calmed down, Sakura asked Genma what they were going to do about Kakashi. He had given her a piece of paper that only told her which training ground they were going to meet at and at what time; and since, he managed to loyally swear himself into lateness towards everything that didn't lack a force of importance – thus cementing it in Sakura's mind that this time's Kakashi wasn't the one she loved and cared for with all her heart; but that didn't mean she still didn't care about him.

It was still Kakashi though and that meant a little revenge was in order.

So, while discussed what they were going to do in terms of training to best prepare themselves for future missions and to pass the Chuunin Exam they ultimately only agreed on one thing and that was no D-rank missions.

At least for now.

They threw ideas back and forth on what they were going to do with Kakashi because it was clear to them that he wasn't going to take her training seriously; and it didn't take long before they constructed the perfect plan.

By the time Kakashi arrived at the training ground it was just a couple minutes before noon and Sakura didn't pay him any attention as she continued to dutifully throw senbon at the targets.

The majority didn't land but it was her first time learning the new weapon.

The noticeable weight difference between senbon, kunai and shuriken made it difficult to swap between them and Sakura's current progress was noticeable due the numerous scattered senbon scattered around the ground.

"Yo. Sorry I'm late. There was an old lady who desperately needed help carrying her groceries."

Kakashi waited for reaction he always got from colleges, but children especially they always had more vocal reactions. Unfortunately, and slightly eerily, Sakura just stared at him with disconnected and unamused eyes; but something flashed across her face before a large smile broke free.

"Kakashi-sensei, perfect timing." She exclaimed ironically, "Last night I was reading a book about you and it said you specialise in ninjutsu and know over a million jutsus." The young and pretty girl threw out her arms childishly in exasperation.

Sakura felt slightly humiliated but could only pray to whatever god there was that Genma would be able to keep his mouth shut and not laugh at her too hard.

Their meeting at Ichiraku Ramen was brief and straight to the point. Sakura didn't think she expressed herself enough for her dear old sensei to impart with enough information on her that would hint to the fact that she was completely faking her fan-girliness.

"Mah~" Kakashi offered boringly, "It's not that many and you're already busy with Genma. I trust his judgement, so it'll be best to leave him with you."

Sakura didn't miss for a second Kakashi's habit of complimenting people to avoid sticky situations and turn attention over to someone else, but she was determined not to let him get away that easily.

"But you're my sensei too, Kakashi-sensei, otherwise it's not fair." Sakura felt her voice starting to hurt putting on such an infuriating voice, but it was worth it watching Kakashi disappear behind his eyes as he desperately tried to find one reason or another to disappear.

Genma stepped forward and cleared his throat, "She is right, Kakashi. You are also her teacher but if you don't feel like participating, you're more than welcome to sit to the side and watch."

Kakashi stared at his 'partner' with hidden suspicion. The thought of them setting up a trap under all the trees in an amateur effort to humiliate him was laughable and whatever respect he had for Genma as a professional Jounin was immediately lost.

But, clearly there was no harm in doing as they said and he was technically teaching Haruno Sakura, so it would only be a matter of time before she and her team would enter in the Chuunin Exams and pass; giving him his ANBU status and ability to accept S-rank missions again.

So, the silver-haired, lazy Jounin accepted with a half nod of the head and sat down under a tree that gave him a perfect view of Haruno Sakura as she returned to practicing senbon, and Genma off to the other side instructing her on how to best hold the weapons and her instinctive reload.

The seconds quickly turned to minutes and then to hours and Kakashi was getting more and more antsy. He had expected a trap to go off by now. It had been four hours and all he had been doing was sitting under the same tree reading his book.

Kakashi had adjusted his rear in some type of effort to spring it but it turned out to be fruitless because there was nothing there…then, where was it.

"Okay, excellent work, Sakura-chan, still got quite a bit of polishing to do but you managed to at least get four out of ten in the final round which is a lot better than I originally expected." Genma announced happily.

"Thanks." Sakura replied with a genuine smile on her face. "I'll practice a bit more when I get home. Same time tomorrow?"

"Perfect."

Kakashi felt like his lungs were going to burst and his shoulders hurt a lot for some reason, but he didn't dare stretch in front of his 'partner' and 'student'. He got up nonetheless now that training was over, thank god.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called out. Kakashi stared at her blankly but his chakra screamed at the second she made any type of move he was ready to defend himself. "Please relax a little, I'm not going to attack you or set any traps. I was just teasing."

Kakashi released the breath he didn't realise he was holding and his shoulders relaxed. He continued to stare at the little pink-haired, six-year-old.

Then it hit him…That was her plan all along.

He didn't know whether he should have felt offended or impressed. He had never thought about the huge vulnerability that was his own instincts as a shinobi to work it against him.

Smart girl.

The trio departed in their own directions, it wasn't a good first meeting, but it wasn't a bad first meeting.

When Kakashi finally arrived home after spending an entire day doing barely anything, he at least felt like he had gained some insight into what type of person Haruno Sakura was. He wouldn't deny there was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way or just ticked him off. He wasn't a petty person…okay, maybe a little, but he had standards, so he didn't dwell on it any more.

When Genma threw himself onto his couch with a can of beer in his hand, the most he could think about was the prank that he and Sakura had pulled on that high and mighty prick, Kakashi. He was easy going, but it didn't mean he wasn't against sticking a couple senbon in the man's over-sized ego. It was a good first day of training for him at least.

As weeks quickly turned into months, Sarutobi was no exactly pleased with the development of two things.

One, the investigation into the traitor was quickly coming to a complete standstill and he knew Shikaku was close to pulling out his hair. The Iwa missing-nin's body was still nicely preserved within a high security scroll and the assigned medic-nins couldn't find anything that could help Shikaku at least find his identity.

And two, Sarutobi had been keeping a close eye on Haruno Sakura's training. The reason he had assigned Kakashi and Genma to the young prodigy was because of her ability to heal those around her, even if she wasn't completely aware of it. However, he had noticed that his late successor's star student rarely contributed to the girl's training or even imparted any type of wisdom onto her.

Sarutobi wondered gravely whether Kakashi was subconsciously afraid to get involved with children purely because of how he was raised in the field.

As a result, the two conflicts presented an opportunity.

"Hokage-sama, you wished to see me about something?"

Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork which he had been organising for the man's new upcoming mission. "Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice, Genma. There is a mission of great importance that I wish to discuss with you."

Genma straightened his back up immediately. The Hokage, despite his appearance, was a man of many experiences, information and held an arsenal of power just in his hands.

The Hokage was being incredibly serious and no matter how much he wished he was the only teacher to guide Sakura to greatness, Genma could not refuse an order.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Lacing his fingers together, Sarutobi assessed Genma capabilities as a Konoha shinobi and comparing him to the others he had available. "I have an A-rank mission for you, nothing dangerous; however, it is politically sensitive plain and simple,"

Genma suddenly didn't like where the Hokage was taking his new mission, but he didn't voice any protest.

He was decent when it came to talking to politicians, but he did have a bounty on his head in Lightning and Water. So, he was at least safe in deducting that it wasn't either or those countries.

"I want you to deliver this letter and these gifts to Earth's Daimyo which the Fire Daimyo was generous enough to provide according to his tastes; however, the Fire Daimyo has left it to Konoha to establish and maintain peaceful ties with Iwa. So, I personally selected these gifts to give to the Tsuchikage and his family. I am familiar fact that Tsuchikage hat has been passed down the family line and it would only be polite to include his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi-san among them. You are to depart in two days' time at dawn. Any questions?"

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I ask purely out of curiosity; why Konoha suddenly desires to connect with our most infamous enemies?"

"That is something I currently can not divulge without giving you clearance."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

Genma could only bow his head in acceptance and take the scrolls that he was given to him.

"I will need to tell Sakura-chan about this, may I tell her the summary? She is an excellent shinobi and has my complete trust."

Sarutobi thought for a moment before nodding.

Sakura was a smart girl but finding the connection between the missing Iwa-nin who had attacked her twice and was dead and Genma's sudden departure to Iwa was too much of a stretch; but Sarutobi made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her just in case.

"Then I will be on my way to prepare, Hokage-sama." Genma said finally and waited for the dismissal.

And with a wave from the Hokage's hand, Genma disappeared immediately.

Only a few hours later, Genma stood waiting for Sakura contemplating just how much information he was going to depart on the little girl. She was only a Genin, a fact he often forgot about.

The six-year-old girl's intelligence was years beyond what was expected and it was only because of the mission that the Hokage gave him that morning that he realised two things, especially in regards to his student: no amount of powerful jutsus equated to someone's rank; and Sakura's calculating and swift plans that she often developed during their spars and while talking to Kakashi meant she could every easily handle a Chuunin or even Jounin level political and economic missions with ease.

Sakura loved studying, especially medical books and scrolls but she never limited herself to only texts many ninjas before her sort out, instead she read up on agriculture, trading, and basically everything a Hokage was required to know and assist the Daimyo with.

The Hokage wasn't just a military general but Daimyo's left-hand man, while the prime minister was the Daimyo's right.

When Genma had inquired about it she told him happily that she brushed up on everything that Naruto needed to know in the future, so she was able to help him whenever he stumbled over himself.

And honestly, if Genma hadn't see how much Sakura cared about the Jinchuuriki for himself, he would have gone to the Hokage straight away suspecting her of a long-term plot of placing a puppet in Konoha.

It was a silly thought but an if Sakura was a plant then it was a clear sign of what a plant would do.

"Genma-sensei!"

The man snapped out of his thoughts and watched as the short, pink-haired girl ran up to his waving at him with excitement. "I know we only covered senbon a little bit, but I wanted to show you how much I've improved. I've been practicing at home and with Naruto and Sasuke."

Genma couldn't help his lips curling in a soft smile and ruffled the girl's hair which only made her grin even more. She might have been smarter than anyone else her age, but she was surprisingly cute.

He knew she would never admit it aloud, but she had a soft spot towards being treated her age, so long as the person giving her affection was someone a lot older than her.

Genma had witnessed a couple times the aggressive sparring match between her and Uchiha Shisui whenever he felt like interrupting their training.

"I can't wait to see it. I also have some news that I need to tell you about later."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Brat. Why am I the only one that gets negative Sakura-chan?" Genma sulked dramatically.

Sakura laughed and then waited for her sensei to continue.

The senbon master coughed lightly into his fist before pulling out (from somewhere, Sakura didn't know) and passed them to her.

"Mission scrolls? You'll be leaving soon. For how long?" Sakura's question stiff and her eyes were slightly glazed with worry.

"I'm going to Iwa, probably about a month, the Hokage and our Daimyo want to try and establish some type of friendship. I don't know why but apparently it's really touchy."

Sakura stared at the scrolls with hard eyes. "What do you have to do?"

Genma blinked for a moment. Why did Sakura want to know that? He thought. He shuffled on his feet for a moment then said, "I have to deliver some gifts to the Earth Daimyo and the Tsuchikage."

Sakura face turned grave, she quickly turned around the scrolls still in her hands before she pushed some chakra into the seal and jewellery and fine art popped out in a small veil of smoke on top of her.

"Oh no, this isn't good."

"Sakura! I could have you reported and stripped of your insubordination for what you just did!" Genma screamed angrily, "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Sakura grabbed an overly large golden necklace that was laced with rubies thrusted it into Genma's face. "You're going to get yourself kicked out or killed in Iwa with this type of insult, Genma-sensei! What was the Hokage thinking? The Tsuchikage isn't the type of person to take insults lightly especially from people younger than him. I don't want you to die!"

Sakura didn't know what had suddenly come over her, tears swelled in her eyes; she had gone through war with hundreds of different people from Iwa, she knew how prideful they were, she knew how they struggled through many, many famines because of their economic situation; and when she looked at her sensei, a man who, in her previously timeline she barely knew, but in this time like he was her friend, a protector and her teacher. Genma was almost a civilian in shinobi amour with his personality.

They were two incredibly conflicting ideals.

AN: Hey there lovelies,

11/1/19: Sorry I haven't been updating lately but I have lost quite a bit of my motivation to write, but I have noticed that usually around when classes start I manage to find my motivation again and I will be starting classes in two weeks. So here's hoping

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~Question Corner~
If you have any questions you would like to ask me you're more than welcome to send them my way and I will answer them in the next chapter