Hoshigaki

Team

Twelve year old Sakura was bored. A little too bored for the occasion, maybe.

Today was finally the day of her year's Academy graduation. Nearly everyone had passed except for Uzumaki Naruto, but he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with a hitai-ate shining on his forehead when she walked into the classroom this morning. It made her unconsciously tighten her own around the top of her head. Her long pink hair had been twisted into a high bun—no flyaways, stray hairs, or out-of-place strands could be seen. 

"It's now time to list off your new genin teams," Iruka announced. "Team One will consist of..."

She looked up at the tap on her shoulder and saw Kiba grinning down at her.

"You look excited," he whispered. Sakura nearly rolled her eyes.

"They could just have our new sensei come and take us instead of making this a whole thing."

"Maybe you're just boring."

"Maybe I'm being sensible."

"Team Three," continued Iruka. He cleared his throat and sent a warning glare in their general direction, "will consist of..."

Kiba and Sakura waited some moments before the former started murmuring from the corner of his mouth. "You'd think after all this time he'd finally separate us by putting us on opposite sides of the room."

"He did. Then he got tired of us throwing paper planes at each other." Sakura reached down to her kunai pouch to take quick inventory of her supplies. Kunai, shuriken, senbon, wire, and a small medical kit. Papa always said it was necessary to be prepared at all moments on any day. There was no use on overstocking on weapons if no one knew how to use them effectively.

"Team Seven!" their teacher called out. "Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyuuga Hinata!"

Both Kiba and Sakura shared a wince. What a team. Sasuke already had problems once the massacre happened and his brother deserted, Naruto hated Sasuke the most in the class, and Hinata had the biggest crush on Naruto since the beginning of the Academy. But Sakura supposed it made sense. Sasuke was the last remaining Uchiha, Hinata was the heiress to her clan, and Naruto...

She cast him a sidelong glance and narrowed her eyes. There was nothing notable about Naruto which made it so odd that there was such high clearance on anything about him.

"Team Eight! Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Sakura!"

She high fived the hand dangling in front of her face before turning in her seat to gaze at one of the students in the top row. Shino was a quiet character in the class that never interacted with other students unless it was absolutely necessary. Part of his unsociable tendencies, she found, was that their classmates didn't take well to the insects he used to work his family's jutsu. She didn't mind them, though. She understood their use and acknowledged their part in his skills.

He caught her eye and sent a minuscule nod her way.

Sakura waved back.

::

"—or you can shut the fuck up—"

"You know, I'm real fucking glad we don't meet up face to face like this all the time, un, 'cause your stupid shit—"

"Jashin will smite you, you fucki—"

Kisame tuned out the conversation with ease and resumed marking up the latest addition of the Bingo Book. Kakuzu had given him a list of names that were key for the six month cycle before the next edition came out, and he had to do some studying for when it came time to collect the bounties.