Chapter 4: One Step at a Time to the Top
When a frantic Kizashi Haruno rushed out to the backyard to check on his precious daughter, the sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks.
There were cushions laid out beneath the tree. And his daughter was… climbing it?
Well — not exactly climbing. More like walking up it.
She was wobbly, sure, but she was genuinely walking up the trunk of the tree.
The fire in Kizashi's chest cooled considerably. He still wanted to ask why she'd been so down at dinner, but this was clearly training. He swallowed the question for now.
Sakura focused on the chakra pooled at the soles of her feet, placing one careful step above the last.
She had to admit — for a civilian-born ninja, this body's talent wasn't half bad.
It couldn't compare to the broken hacks that certain someones had been born with. But it was more than enough to work with.
Even in the Boruto era, when those two overpowered freaks got hit with the nerf bat of a lifetime, Sakura Haruno was still out there thriving.
She'd even beaten a certain Uchiha black and blue — without activating the Hundred Healings.
And Sakura was discovering that her chakra control was remarkably precise. Even on her very first attempt at tree-climbing, she'd gotten the hang of it almost instantly.
Balance. Flow. A steady, even concentration of chakra at her feet.
As the top of the tree came within reach, something dark flickered through those green eyes.
Since the old "Sakura" was gone…
She had no choice but to keep chasing power.
One step. Then another. Then another. All the way to the top.
One final step — and she was there.
Sakura stood at the crown of the tree and looked out over the rooftops.
The night wind tugged at her pink hair.
This feeling… wasn't bad at all.
The next day, Sakura was back in her seat at the Academy, absorbing everything Iruka had to teach.
But the more she listened, the deeper her frown became.
Too easy…
At this pace, her progress could be so much faster. But if she stayed on this track, it would take forever to get anywhere near the Yin Seal.
She needed to skip ahead.
The pencil spun between her fingers as she gazed out the window.
Skipping grades had its pros and cons.
The upside was obvious — faster access to more advanced and actually useful knowledge.
The downside was just as clear.
This class was practically a who's-who of future clan heads.
Hyūga. Yamanaka. Nara. Akimichi. Inuzuka. Aburame…
And most importantly —
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
The reincarnations of Ashura and Indra.
If she could build strong relationships with these people, it might save her a decade of effort.
The fact that a civilian like her had landed in this elite class at all was honestly dumb luck.
"Kyaa~ Sasuke-kun is so dreamy…"
While Sakura had been lost in thought, the bell had rung without her noticing.
Iruka had glanced her way during class but said nothing — a quick look at her desk confirmed her notes were already complete and thorough.
Top students always got the benefit of the doubt.
"Ooh, Sakura — were you thinking about Sasuke just now?"
Ino sidled up to her, wearing a mischievous smirk.
Though beneath the teasing, those bright eyes held a faint hint of anxiety.
Sasuke Uchiha — the undisputed heartthrob of the class. Every girl in the room was swooning over him.
Even that aloof, too-cool-for-everyone act he put on only made the girls fall harder.
Add in his status as the second son of the Uchiha clan, his top grades, and his natural talent — wealthy, handsome, and strong. The complete package. Every girl's dream.
Compared to him at this point, Naruto might as well have been on a different planet.
Sakura gave Ino a puzzled look.
She knew full well that Ino, like every other girl in the class, had a crush on Sasuke. She answered casually:
"No — I was thinking about whether to apply to skip a grade."
"Huh?!"
Ino stared at her in disbelief.
"What Iruka-sensei teaches is too basic. I learn it the first time through, and the rest of the period is just dead time."
"I spend at least half of every class just zoning out. It's boring."
Listening to Sakura, Ino wanted to cry.
So this is the difference between a top student and the rest of us?
She wasn't even a bad student herself — but hearing this, she felt completely outclassed in every possible way.
"Skipping grades… what a drag…"
A lazy drawl floated over from behind them, its owner clearly having overheard.
"Shikamaru! You can't just eavesdrop on girls' private conversations!"
Ino spun around and jabbed a finger at the six-year-old Nara boy.
"Yeah, yeah, my bad — happy now?"
The pineapple-haired kid yawned, rubbing his bleary eyes. He thought Sakura's idea was ridiculous.
Why go looking for trouble when you could just coast through six peaceful years at the Academy?
Still… she's something else.
Students who skipped grades almost always went on to become exceptional shinobi.
Shikamaru's gaze drifted over the pink-haired girl for a moment. Then he slumped back onto his desk and went right back to his nap.
Sakura had no idea what the pineapple-head behind her was thinking. She had her own reasons — reasons she couldn't afford to ignore.
The Konoha Intelligence Division hung over her like the Sword of Damocles.
This cursed Yin Seal was driving her forward, forward, forward — whether she liked it or not.
In the original story, Sakura had taken three years to complete the Hundred Healings.
She was six now. Even if it took her twice as long, she'd be exactly twelve.
Which was exactly when she was supposed to learn the Yin Seal technique in the first place.
And if she got the Seal one day and completed the Hundred Healings the next — yeah, nobody was going to buy that.
Sakura let out a slow breath, then stood up with iron resolve and walked straight out of the classroom.
She was going to find Iruka right now. She'd have him hand over the entire first-year curriculum. Then she'd master it as fast as humanly possible.
After that — second year. Then third. All the way through sixth. Maximum speed, no breaks.
She set herself a deadline.
Two years.
All in.
She knew it was a brute-force approach — but for a civilian with no clan resources, this was the best she could do.
Even after graduating, she'd still need to find a way onto the radar of Konoha's leadership.
Everything beyond that was still a question mark…
Carrying the weight of these thoughts, Sakura stepped into the faculty office.
"Oh — Sakura! Perfect timing. I actually have something to ask you."
Before she could say a word, Iruka looked up and spoke first.