Young Martial Aunt

... Young Martial Aunt

Sakura lay on the rooftop steps with her head resting on her arm and one leg crossed over the other, staring absentmindedly at the white clouds drifting across the sky.

There was a little over a month left until the Chunin Exams, which also meant there was a little over a month left until Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan.

But unlike before, the Land of Earth was involved this time as well.

That was because Sakura's previous resource-control strategy had achieved remarkable results.

It had forced the Land of Earth to ease its relations with Konoha in order to obtain more resources.

During that time, quite a few schemers had tried to get a slice of the pie, but with Sakura's advanced theories, the pressure exerted by the ninja, and the daimyo's support, nearly everyone who tried to pull something shady had their claws chopped off.

This world was ultimately a world of ninja. Even if they obeyed the so-called daimyo, the daimyo would neither dare nor be willing to ignore the ninja.

She just didn't know from what angle Orochimaru would launch the Konoha Crush Plan.

It would be fine if it went the same way as the original story. What she feared was Orochimaru setting his sights on that old bastard Ōnoki, whose back was always hurting.

But it didn't really matter. In fact, that would be even better. Ōnoki wasn't Rasa; he was a stubborn old man who could still erupt with power at seventy.

If Orochimaru truly set his sights on Ōnoki, then he could have a taste of Dust Release's power first.

Sakura's thoughts drifted away when, suddenly, a burst of commotion erupted from the ninja classroom beneath her.

Sakura's expression shifted, and she swiftly vanished from where she stood. She ran straight down the wall and peered through the window at the two protagonists of the incident.

A blond kid and a black-haired youth had their lips pressed together, kissing beneath everyone's disbelieving gazes!

At this moment, time seemed to freeze~~~

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other with wide, incredulous eyes before bending over in near-perfect unison and retching to the side.

"Naruto, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

The youth with the Uchiha crest on his back clutched his chest as he fought back nausea, glaring viciously at the blond kid.

"I should be the one saying that!"

"My first kiss was supposed to be saved for Sakura!"

Naruto pulled a miserable face and spoke while forcing down his disgust.

Sakura: ...

I really don't think that was necessary.

Sakura, who had been watching the spectacle with an eager smile, immediately couldn't smile anymore.

Go find your Hinata.

Look at Hinata over there—she was so jealous of Sasuke that she was biting her handkerchief.

Sakura stopped paying attention to the ensuing commotion and returned to the rooftop.

So annoying...

Naruto really was relentlessly hung up on her. She needed to find an opportunity to make Hinata's feelings clear to Naruto.

Just as Sakura returned to the rooftop and resumed staring into space, Iruka entered the classroom to restore order and began assigning teams.

"Yo."

"Why is our Anbu squad captain sitting here all alone?"

As Sakura lay on the rooftop lost in thought, a figure appeared beside her.

Sakura glanced at the newcomer with her emerald eyes and said irritably, "Watch how you speak."

"By seniority, what should you call me?"

"..."

Kakashi looked speechlessly at the little girl before him.

He had dodged and weaved, yet he still hadn't escaped this.

This girl's master was the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage's disciple was Jiraiya, Jiraiya's disciple was the Fourth Hokage, and Kakashi himself was the Fourth Hokage's disciple.

By seniority, this girl belonged to Jiraiya's generation...

And he should have called her his martial grandmaster...

"...Young Martial Aunt."

He should have called her martial grandmaster, but Sakura thought it sounded awful, so she let Kakashi move up a generation.

He ought to thank Sakura for that~~

Kakashi stared with dead-fish eyes and spoke helplessly.

At first, this girl had called him Kakashi-senpai at every turn, but after becoming familiar with him, she would tease him about this from time to time.

"Good boy~~"

Smiling, Sakura casually reached out and patted Kakashi's white hair.

Being apprenticed to the Third Hokage came with one more benefit.

A massive boost in seniority!

Even if Namikaze Minato stood before her, he would have to obediently call her Young Martial Aunt.

"What is it?"

Her worries over Naruto had just been somewhat eased by Kakashi. Sakura looked at him with a smile as she spoke.

"It's about the team assignments. What do you think?"

Kakashi brought up Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrangement.

When he had first learned that he would be Naruto and Sasuke's teacher, he had planned to take it somewhat seriously.

But then he learned that Sakura was the last member.

He felt that being Team 7's teacher was hardly worth it.

Having become an Anbu squad captain at the age of twelve—after spending ten years in the Anbu, he understood better than anyone what that truly meant.

Even Uchiha Itachi had only become an Anbu squad captain at thirteen.

And this girl had become a squad captain while holding the rank of Special Jonin.

If the Third Hokage had not held Sakura back, unwilling to let her become a Jonin so quickly, then Sakura would currently be a Jonin of the same rank as him.

Kakashi himself had become a Jonin at twelve due to special wartime circumstances, whereas the girl before him had advanced step by step during peacetime.

No matter how one looked at it, her credentials were more impressive than his wartime promotion.

If Kakashi really fought Sakura, she could simply use a Summoning Jutsu to call out Katsuyu, and he truly had no good way to deal with her.

Not to mention that Sakura had Enma working with her Monstrous Strength, and her Medical Ninjutsu was exceptionally refined as well...

Now, in preparation for the upcoming Chunin Exams, they were forcibly disguising such a powerhouse as a Genin. Kakashi was utterly speechless at the Third Hokage's decision.

"What do you mean, what do I think?"

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura deliberately emphasized the word "sensei."

Kakashi was not the only dissatisfied one; Sakura herself was displeased as well.

She had worked herself to the bone in the Anbu for four years, only to be dismissed just like that. Afterward, they merely restored her rank instead of reinstating her Anbu status.

The benefits Anbu received were hardly comparable to those of ordinary ninja...

She would probably have to tighten her belt on monthly expenses from now on...

Kakashi stared wordlessly at Sakura's sarcastic tone with his dead-fish eye.

He had a feeling the days ahead would be rough...

"...I mean the upcoming Chunin Exams."

Kakashi's tone grew slightly grave.

"According to intelligence reports, it seems someone intends to use these Chunin Exams to do something."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not merely want Sakura to hold down the fort during the Chunin Exams. He also wanted her to handle any unexpected situations that might arise during the exam.

Because of the nature of the exam, the written portion was fine.

But if anything happened once they entered the Forest of Death, Sakura, stationed at the testing grounds, would be the strongest and fastest rescue option.

That was Hiruzen Sarutobi's true purpose.

Protecting Naruto was the real mission.