"I still don't understand why Sai was kicked out of the team seven," Sakura snorted, crossing her arms over her chest, staring into the dark eyes of the Sixth visibly irritated, standing next to her companions from the newest team seven squad, Naruto and Kimiko.

She understood that she and Naruto were already jōnin, and that's why Sasuke was unable to join them due to his third attempt at the chūnin exam, which he still failed. He has already won twice against each of the contestants, but apparently, he hasn't shown a very good strategy to win the new title. This, or their former teacher, and now another Hokage, decided to play back on the last descendant of the Uchiha clan. Personally, Sakura didn't mind. She would have been lying if she had said that she hadn't lacked this whining in their roster, but still felt that he deserved the punishment for betraying the village, and it didn't matter that he showed up to the war at the last minute and helped them. Deeds were important, and Sasuke hasn't yet apologized for his behaviour. Sakura didn't care that he didn't apologize to her for the attempted murder because it hurt the most the way he treated Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. The young kunoichi had long put the feelings of her loved ones over her own and only the good of her friends mattered to her.

But she still didn't understand one thing...

"Sai isn't kicked out of the team," Kakashi corrected, leaning back against the back of the chair. "He was sent on a compulsory leave."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Big whoop, they could have thought of...!"

"Sakura!" Hokage admonished her, and she frowned and looked away from him. She was just embittered with the new teammate. No wonder, since it was the second girl with a loads of black curls and a fierce stare of steel eyes. In addition, she was a bit older than them, and obtained the jōnin title much faster than Sakura.

"Dear Rokudaime," Kimiko said to Kakashi, inclining her head. "If it's such a big problem for Sakura to accept me, please put me on another team."

Kakashi shot Sakura a scolding look.

"We can't afford such situation. The final qualifying round for the chūnin exam is approaching and most of the shinobi have already received orders, we can't afford to let the story of your first attempt repeat itself. All the most gifted ninja has been assigned to keep order during the final stage of the exams," Hatake replied, then added, "You're one of the few teams available to me that, despite my position, I intend to lead on this mission." Kakashi looked at Sakura for a moment, before he finished his statement, "As for the Sai thing, all three of you are well aware that he has more important matters on his head right now."

Naruto scratched his neck, feeling the burning blush on his cheeks.

"We understand that, Kakashi-sensei," the boy replied.

It's just that Sakura didn't understand. Okay, maybe Ino was about to give birth, but that didn't mean they should be deprived of a teammate and replaced with this... this... bitch.

Sakura cast a sharp look at Naruto who shuddered and immediately looked at the floor, then looked at Kimiko who fluttered her eyelashes, staring at Kakashi. Haruno gritted her teeth, clenching her hands into fists.

"Is... something wrong with your eyes, Kimiko?" Hokage was surprised.

Haruno wanted to smash something, or someone...

The asked one was confused.

"Er... no, Kakashi-sama."

At that moment there was a knock and one of Kakashi's many assistants or secretaries entered the room. Sakura has long forgotten what to call them correctly, as they were listed in her vocabulary as mean harpies.

This particular one, always, did the same, exactly as she did now, as she walked, swinging her hips from side to side, then leaning over Kakashi's desk, lining up a tray with a jug and four cups, sticking her ass out of her way too short skirt in Naruto direction and shining a large neckline in front of Hatake.

Sakura rolled her eyes again, and when she glanced at her companion and saw the saliva dripping from his mouth, she hit him on the head.

"Ouch! Sakura-chan, what was that for, dattebayo?" Naruto groaned, rubbing the top of his head.

Haruno clenched her hand into a fist, which she waved in front of him.

"Shall I complain to Asami that you drool over such bitches?!" she roared.

Uzumaki's eyes widened even more when he started waving his hands in front of his face, raising them in a gesture of surrender and shaking his head.

"You don't need to... dattebayo," he groaned in horror.

Sakura didn't predict one thing.

"Who do you call a bitch?!" the assistant was indignant.

A wicked smile curved the lips of the pink-haired kunoichi.

"You," she replied calmly.

Then the woman lunged at her. However, before Sakura was given the chance to smash her mean mouth, Kakashi literally appeared out of nowhere right in front of her, blocking the blows of both women.

"Enough!" he said firmly, casting the quarrelling ones a warning look.

"She started it!"

Sakura spared herself a greater ridicule and limited only to huffing.

"Kimiko, Naruto, you can go." Kakashi dismissed part of team seven, then focused his attention on Sakura and Misaki.

Uzumaki led his companion to the exit, knowing that the discussion between the three of them wouldn't end well. Whereas Kimiko cast a short, flirty glance at Kakashi, which he completely ignored. Only Sakura glared at her before she disappeared behind the door.

Hatake looked from one to the other, then spoke, "Sakura, I've lost count of how many times you started a similar exchange... Could you please calm down?" His tone was gentle, though he still gave her a disgruntled look.

Haruno snorted.

"She could start dressing decently as an assistant to the Hokage himself."

"And who says that?! Every time it's you that shine with a large cleavage and skimpy clothing in front of our dear Rokudaime!" Misaki huffed.

Kakashi sighed in resignation, putting his hand to his forehead. It couldn't have ended well, and he knew it perfectly well.

"Sakura doesn't come in skimpy clothes and doesn't shine with a big cleavage," he explained calmly, looking at Misaki. "You do, and I would prefer you to dress more appropriately according to your position."

Haruno couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

"But she...!"

Kakashi held up a finger.

"End of discussion. Sakura will stop challenging you once you take your job seriously."

"Why do I feel like you're on her side?"

Hatake sighed in resignation. He was definitely fed up with all of this. He was well aware that removing the mask at the Hokage nomination was a bad idea, but Tsunade insisted. And here he was, and literally every kunoichi or civilian woman courted him, which was very... as Nara put it — bothersome.

"Because that's how it is," Sakura admitted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Misaki frowned.

"It's a pity that I wasn't your apprentice either, maybe you'd be defending me too,'' she snorted like an angry kitten, before moving to the huge double door, where she stopped for a moment and tossed Kakashi contemptuously, "Next time you'll bring your own tea all by yourself, Hokage-sama!"

Then she slammed the door and disappeared.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, smiling at him innocently.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered aloud, looking at her figure dressed in a short, red top with a rather large neckline by kunoichi standards and in a far too short white skirt, under which, fortunately for him, she still wore black leggings.