Well, that was easier than I expected.
I'd just opened the door after there was a knock, or at least a clone was, while I was behind the couch ready to fling explosives and another clone was on the ceiling ready to shoot a fireball. I was still a paranoid spastic in all honesty and probably would never change.
A conversation with one of Kakashi's clones followed with an update on Mizuki being captured, interrogated, and a confirmation that he was a traitor. I wasn't told who he was aligned with even though I asked to have an excuse to 'know' it was Orchimaru, and Kakashi politely asked that I not dig further. I complied and thanked him for taking my concern seriously, then he disappeared in a blur of leaves.
That left me where I was now. The next thing now that Mizuki was outed was, well, graduation and me and Naruko almost certainly getting assigned to the same team, definitely Kakashi, along with the third one whoever that would be. If I didn't know Gai and respect his training regimen in what it could do, I'd prefer Lee as the third. But as it was, Kakashi wouldn't be able to draw his full potential out like Gai could.
My thoughts got interrupted by my stomach growling and I frowned down at it.
Bah, I'll fix myself something to eat and Naruko will wake up when she smells it. Better than an alarm clock or dumping water on her.
…
It took all of 15 minutes for her to wake up and stumble into the kitchen, yawning loudly and her hair in a massive bristled tangle that glinted in the light. Her eyes were squinted, just two narrow bars of blue staring at me.
"M'hungry." She mumbled, sitting down loudly in the chair opposite of my side of the table.
"Hi hungry, I'm Sasuke." I said without even thinking, pausing as I scowled internally at the sudden realization of what I just did. I was such a dad with that joke. What is wrong with me?
Oh… yeah. Everything.
Naruko mumbled something incomprehensible before drinking the cup of milk I left out for her, and I was eerily reminded of a cat from how her face was pinched in exhaustion and her whisker marks.
I finished fixing breakfast, set the plate of eggs and rice in front of her, then began preparing a bento box for me and one for her. It didn't take long, and Naruko slowly ate her food. After finishing the boxes, periodically eating my own food, I set the boxes on the table and then my plate with my food, continuing to eat.
"Kakashi swung by." I said after a minute of silence, drawing her attention to me and she looked directly into my eyes, a bit more alert now. "Mizuki was caught and he was definitely wanting to steal information from the Forbidden Scroll."
Naruko blinked, then looked down back to her food. "Thank you for listening to me, Sasuke." She mumbled.
I just shrugged, continuing to eat. It was nothing, not even an inconvenience.
We finished breakfast in relative quiet after that, with Naruko perking up a bit more as the food hit her system. She scarfed down the last of her eggs like she was afraid they'd vanish, then eyed the bento box I'd packed for her with a suspicious squint, as if checking for hidden vegetables or something. I ignored it and polished off my own plate, stacking everything in the sink for later, because who has time for dishes when you're about to graduate into a life of ninja bullshit?
Oh yeah, me. I made a clone and had it do the work. He was an asshole anyway and deserved it.
"Alright, time to get ready," I said, standing up and stretching. My muscles were still a little tight from yesterday's paranoia-fueled setup, but nothing a quick warm-up wouldn't fix. "Academy's waiting, and I don't feel like being late to our own graduation."
Naruko grumbled something about "five more minutes" but hauled herself up anyway, shuffling off to her room. I headed to mine, pulling on my usual outfit, my dark shirt, shorts, and sandals. Simple, functional, and not screaming "look at me" like some of the other kids, or more like one in particular.
By the time I stepped back out, Naruko was in the living room, dressed in her orange monstrosity of a jacket and pants, looking about as put-together as a feral fox. Her hair, though... it was… a disaster. That blonde mess was sticking out in every direction, like she'd wrestled a porcupine in her sleep and lost. She didn't even glance at a mirror or grab a comb, just yawned and headed for the door like that was acceptable.
"Hold up," I said, grabbing her shoulder before she could bolt. She turned, blinking at me with those big blue eyes, all innocent confusion.
"What? We're gonna be late if we don't—"
"Your hair. It looks like a bird's nest exploded on your head." I steered her over to the couch and pushed her down to sit, ignoring her immediate protest.
She crossed her arms and glared up at me, her whiskers twitching in annoyance. "I don't care! It's fine like this. Who combs their hair for graduation anyway? It's just gonna get messed up in the wind or whatever, -ttebayo."
Yeah, sure. Because showing up looking like you'd been electrocuted was a great first impression for genin life. I grabbed the comb from the side table, my comb, technically, but whatever, and stood behind her. "Just sit still. It'll take two minutes."
She huffed, but didn't fight it, though her glare could have melted steel if she had the kekkei genkai for it. I started working through the tangles, section by section, careful not to pull too hard. It was surprisingly soft under all the chaos, and as I got into a rhythm, parting it and braiding it back into something neat, two simple braids, nothing fancy, that annoying little voice in the back of my mind piped up. 'You know, combing and braiding someone's hair like this? Pretty intimate gesture. Like, couple-level stuff. What are you even doing, Uchiha?"
I ignored it. Shut up, brain. This was just practical. Efficiency. Teamwork or whatever. Not like I was enjoying the way her shoulders relaxed a fraction or how the blonde strands caught the light. Nope. Definitely not.
"There," I said after a few minutes, stepping back to admire my work. Not bad, clean and out of her face, ready for action. "Now you don't look like you lost a fight with a hedge."
Naruko reached up, patting the braids tentatively, then shot me a half-grin over her shoulder. "Huh. Feels weird. Thanks, I guess."
I shrugged it off, grabbing my own brush from the bathroom. My hair was shorter and easier to work with, just a quick comb-through to tame the spikes, then I tied it back into a low ponytail with a band. Efficient, out of the way. Done.
"Alright, let's go," I said, slinging my bento over my shoulder and heading for the door. Naruko grabbed hers and bounced after me, already chattering about what team we'd end up on. Graduation, here we come.
xRSxxRSxxRSx
The Academy classroom was the same old boring setup, rows of desks, chalkboard up front, that faint smell of old paper and sweat from too many kids crammed in here over the years. I slouched in my seat, arms crossed, with Naruko wedged between me and Lee on her other side. She was vibrating with that usual hyper energy, kicking her feet under the desk, while Lee sat ramrod straight, all eager and bushy-tailed like he was about to burst into a speech about the power of youth or whatever.
Iruka stood at the front, looking like he'd been dragged through a hedge backward. Bags under his eyes, hair a bit messier than usual, shirt not quite tucked in properly. Poor guy probably got yanked out of bed last night for the Mizuki debrief, I thought. Traitors in your own ranks? Yeah, that'd keep anyone up. He cleared his throat, rubbing his scar like it itched, and started droning through the team assignments.
I didn't pay attention to any of them until it got to some familiar people that my mind did not compartmentalize into being little more than NPCs made of meat and bone. Team 9 was Rock Lee, Tenten, and Suzuki Nisa, a dark haired civilian girl who'd been decent in ninjutsu and taijutsu, nothing flashy but solid enough not to drag a team down. Made sense, balance out Lee's enthusiasm and Tenten's weapons obsession.
Lee pumped a fist subtly, his eyes lighting up. Good for him. Gai would turn him into a monster.
Then it was our turn. Iruka paused, scanning his list like he was double-checking. "Next team is Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruko, and Hyuga Neji."
Naruko let out a whoop that could shatter glass, nearly launching out of her seat like a rocket. Before I could brace, she flung her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug, squeezing like I was a stuffed animal. "Yes! Team awesome! We're gonna kick so much butt, Sasuke!"
I scowled, caught off guard, hugs weren't exactly in my daily routine, and pried her off after a second. "Personal space," I muttered, but there was no heat in it. She just grinned wider, bouncing in her seat.
Internally, I raised a brow at the lineup. Neji, huh? That seem to be a change up because we were the two highest rated in this year. I glanced over at him a few rows away, all stoic and long-haired, staring straight ahead like the rest of us didn't exist. He didn't even twitch in my direction.
Something nagged at me, though. I let my chakra flicker, just to one eye, activating the Sharingan in my left socket, keeping it subtle as I tilted my head. The world sharpened and there it was, a faint outline of chakra channeling up to his head, veins bulging around his eyes even if his face stayed blank. Byakugan active, probably peeking right through his own skull to size me up without turning. Sneaky bastard.
I nodded slightly in his direction, a bare acknowledgment, then let the Sharingan fade. Message received.
The jonin started filtering in after that, one by one, collecting their fresh meat.
And then Gai burst in like a green whirlwind, all teeth and thumbs-up, shouting about flames of youth and literally everybody but me, Lee, and Naruko diverted our full attention to him.
Lee's face lit up like the sun. "Sensei! I am honored to be under your guidance!"
Before Lee could bound off with his new team, I grabbed his arm as he passed our row, holding him back for a second. "Lee," I said, keeping my voice low but firm, almost like I was imploring him. "Keep the hair braided. Don't cut it short, okay?"
He blinked at me, confusion wrinkling his bowl-cut brows under those ridiculous bandages. "Uh... okay, Sasuke? But why—"
"Just do it." Because short hair on him looks like a bad cosplay, and I refuse to let that timeline happen. He nodded, still puzzled, and jogged off to join Tenten and the Misa girl.
The room emptied out gradually, teams peeling away until it was just us three left; me, Naruko, and Neji, who'd migrated over to sit a desk away, arms crossed, expression flat as a board. But I could see the tells, the slight tightening around his eyes, the way his fingers tapped once or twice before he forced them still. Impatience building.
Naruko was worse, fidgeting like she had ants in her pants, huffing every few minutes. Finally, she hopped up with a mischievous gleam, snagging the chalk eraser from the board. "If he's gonna make us wait, might as well have some fun," she whispered, balancing it precariously on top of the doorframe with a cheeky grin splitting her face.
I rolled my eyes but didn't stop her. Turning to Neji, I drawled in my most bored tone, "Expect Kakashi to take a while. He enjoys wasting people's time."
Neji's face contorted into a slight scowl, just a flicker before he smoothed it out. "And how would you know that, Uchiha?"
I shrugged, leaning back. "He's the only one in the village who could teach me how to use my Sharingan properly. Been getting some training from him the last couple of years. Interacted enough to pick up his habits."
Neji absorbed that, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully, like he was filing it away for later. Then, after a moment, he glanced at Naruko, who was back in her seat but still squirming, and said, almost rudely, "Could you stop fidgeting? It's distracting."
She shot him a flat look, left eye twitching. "Could you stop being a stick in the mud? It's boring waiting around."
He didn't respond, just went back to staring at the door. We sat there in awkward silence, the clock ticking louder than it had any right to, until finally, finally, the door slid open.
The eraser plummeted right onto Kakashi's silver mop, exploding in a puff of chalk dust that coated his head and marked his mask. He froze mid-step, eye curving in that deadpan stare he did so well.
Naruko burst out laughing, clutching her sides and pointing. "Gotcha! Take that, late-sensei!"
Kakashi just brushed a bit of powder off his shoulder, unfazed. "My first impression of you all... you're idiots."
Wait, did he recycle that from Canon?
"Meet me on the roof." He then vanished from sight.
We headed up to the roof after that, me leading the way with Naruko bouncing behind like an overcaffeinated squirrel and Neji bringing up the rear in that silent, judgmental Hyuga stalk he did so well. The stairs creaked under our feet, the Academy feeling even more empty now that everyone else had cleared out. Kakashi was already there of course, perched on the railing lazily, one leg dangling over the edge, his hitai-ate glinting in the sun.
"Yo," he said finally, eyeing us through his single visible eye. "Take a seat. Let's get the introductions out of the way. Tell me about yourselves, things you like, things you hate, your dreams for the future. That sort of thing."
I suppressed a twitch, that familiar itch scratching at the back of my head. Does he rehearse this speech in front of a mirror? Every genin team gets the same canned routine? It was like almost watching the show again, predictable, but somehow still annoying.
Naruko piped up first, crossing her arms with a huff. "You already know me and Sasuke, sensei! We've been training with you for ages. What's the point of this?"
That and we had known Neji for a year.
Kakashi raised a brow, just a sliver, barely noticeable under his mask, but said nothing. He just stared at her. And stared. And kept staring, that eye unblinking like a statue's. The silence stretched, thick and awkward, until Naruko started fidgeting, shifting her weight from foot to foot, her whiskers twitching.
'This could be fun,' I thought, hiding a smirk. Watching her squirm under that gaze? Priceless. "Why don't you give us an example, sensei?" I asked, leaning against the railing. "You go first."
Kakashi's eye crinkled in what I swore was amusement; he caught on quick. "Fine. I'm Hatake Kakashi." He paused, tapping his chin like he was musing over deep philosophy. "Things I like... things I hate... hmm." Another beat. "I don't feel like sharing those." Then, with a casual shrug, "As for my goals and dreams? Haven't really put much thought into it."
Naruko's face went beet red, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "What? That's not fair! You can't just—argh!" She flailed her arms, flustered beyond words, and I had to bite my lip to keep from chuckling. Neji, on the other hand, just looked unamused, his arms crossed tighter, like this whole thing was beneath him.
Kakashi ignored the outburst, nodding at her. "Alright, your turn then."
Before she could, I cut in.
"I can help you," I mock offered, suspecting that Neji likely didn't know the full breadth of Kakashi's history, "You are Hatake Kakashi, also known as Copycat Kakashi or the Copycat Ninja, said to know a thousand jutsu thanks in part to the implanted Sharingan in your left eye socket gifted to you by your fallen friend Uchiha Obito. You graduated at age 5 from the Academy, the youngest genin in Konoha's history, became a chunin at 6, a Jonin at… 11 was it? And are the son of the fallen hero Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, and sole surviving student of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
Each point I made caused Neji to progressively widen his eyes, and a look of genuine total shock was on his face for the first time I had seen from him.
"You hate those who betray friends, and you love Icha-Icha books written by Jiraiya the Sannin."
I heard a scowl from Naruko at that.
Kakashi gave me what was as close to a scrutinizing look as he would usually give, but then shrugged.
"Maa, maa, not bad. Good memory." He then looked to Naruko. "Okay, gaki, your turn."
She puffed up, still red but channeling it into volume. "I'm Uzumaki Naruko! I like ramen, and my best friend Sasuke—oh, and music! I hate how long it takes for the water to heat up for ramen, and mean people! My dream is to become the greatest Hokage ever, and the first woman one!"
Kakashi made a slight grunt, like he was filing it away without comment. Then his gaze slid to Neji. "Alright, the one on the left. Are you making eye contact with me? I can't tell."
Neji's expression soured, annoyance flashing in those pale eyes. "Hyuga Neji," he said flatly. "I don't care to share."
I shrugged when Kakashi glanced my way, like it was no big deal. "It's fine. We all know enough about him for it to matter, he's the nephew of the Hyuga clan head, intelligent, and more than helpful as a teammate. Oh, and he gets annoyed if reference to his impending betrothal to his cousin is brought up."
I was. Such. A dick.
Neji glared at me coldly for a second, those Byakugan veins not quite active but his gaze sharp enough to cut. Then he pulled it back in and went back to silent observation mode, staring out over the village like he was above it all.
Kakashi turned to me last, his head tilting expectantly. "And you?"
"Uchiha Sasuke," I said, keeping it straightforward. "Loyal Uchiha to Konoha. I enjoy training, playing musical instruments, hanging out with Naruko, and being a source of fear for stupid people and cowards. I hate cowards, liars, and traitors. My goals... to free myself of traitors, to be powerful enough to be free and to determine my own fate."
Kakashi swept his gaze over each of us, lingering on Naruko's puffed-up pride, Neji's stoic mask, and whatever blank expression I was wearing, before leaning back on the railing like he owned the rooftop. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way... as your possible jonin sensei, I have the option to run an additional test, a graduation exam. And I'm exercising that right."
"I thought that we already did." Neji said.
"That was graduating from the academy, now we need to actually convince Kakashi himself to have us on as his students and not be relegated to the genin corps." I said casually.
I was glad that I brought this up earlier to Naruko, otherwise she would have gotten upset. As much fun as it was to annoy her and antagonize her, actually seeing her genuinely upset didn't feel or sit right with me. And she wouldn't have seen this coming. Me? I'd known about the bell test bullshit for ages, perks of the influx of memories. And since I'd already clued Naruko in during one of our late-night rants, so she just grinned wider, all teeth and whiskers.
"That seems…reasonable." Neji finally settled on.
"And don't worry, if he fails us, I'll just ask Jiji to make him train us, -ttebayo!" Naruko pumped her fist, drawing a faint intake of breath from Kakashi that I understood to be a huff of amusement.
"No he can't." Kakashi said pleasantly, perfectly relaxed.
"He's the Sandaime! Of course he can order you."
"Not on this actually." I cut in, causing her to look at me in confusion.
"Uh, how?"
"It sounds like you don't know the apprenticeship laws." Kakashi said, and if she hadn't been sitting down, she probably would have stomped her foot and frustration. "Don't you agree Sasuke?"
"I literally had you read a book about it that included it," I said to her, and she figured it under my gaze, "did you not read it?"
"I…" she started tugging at the end of her left braid, face flushing pink, "Kind of, fell asleep? What are the apprenticeship laws?"
I looked at Kakashi, who just stared back at me. We were like that for about a minute before I gave him a look.
"What, do you want me to explain it to her?"
"Oh? If you really want to, then be my guest, I'm accommodating." Kakashi replied pleasantly, kicking back a little bit and adjusting his posture in an intentionally relaxing look.
I bit the inside of my cheek to not smart off, and I felt an involuntary twitch by my left eye. I was going to hate being around this dickhead day in and day out.
"Fine." I gritted out, being forced once again to educate and cultivate this blonde chakra monstrosity into something that wouldn't drive me insane from how stupid she was! This is my punishment for getting attached to the stray. "So you know how the Hokage is the top commander of all Shinobi in Konoha, right?"
She nodded in understanding. "Yeah."
"Like the armies of the Samurai and the forces of the Daimyos, they can give orders in times of war and have full control. But for peacetime, like now, there are certain rights that Shinobi have that can't be imposed upon. We get to pick our own missions, we can't be ordered to do ones that we don't consider worth it or too dangerous. Still following?"
"Yes, Sasuke."
"This also goes for Jonin taking students. The Hokage can't force them too, but it's tradition to train at least one crop of students so techniques and skills don't die out. But there's a catch, it's voluntary and there's likely to be favoritism, with some Jonin favoring clan members or the prodigious ones. So the Hokage has full authority to choose who gets assigned to a Jonin that volunteers, but Jonin still have a final right and that's what Kakashi is doing now… a personal exam to determine if the team can function and if he can properly train them. If they can, and show that they have what it takes and convince the Jonin, that's great. The Jonin gets good students and the students get a Jonin. If not, a different possible Jonin can be brought in, or an available chunin. If they can't find such, it could take months before they can get one."
I knew that wouldn't be the case, and I was pretty sure I had instilled that in Naruk-
"No way am I letting myself not be trained well for months!"
Fuck. My. Life.
Neji just quietly observed this, and I could easily tell that he looked so done with this day.
Kakashi pulled out two small bells from his pouch, letting them jingle lightly in his hand like some kind of twisted wind chime. "The test is tomorrow at Training Ground 7, 8:00 AM sharp. Won't start until all of us are there. Your objective? Get one of these bells off me by noon. If you don't snag one, you're out, no team for you."
Neji's eyes narrowed at the bells, his voice cutting in flat and precise. "There are only two bells."
Kakashi tilted his head, that single eye curving in mock innocence. "Did I stutter?"
Naruko faltered for a split second, her usual bravado cracking into uncertainty, brows furrowing as she chewed her lip. But she shot a quick glance my way, and whatever she saw in my expression, probably that bored confidence I was faking, settled her right back down, her shoulders relaxing.
"Two students will be easier to train than three, anyway," Kakashi continued, dangling the bells like bait. "Cuts down on the paperwork."
Internally, I was relaxed as hell. This is cake. The whole point's teamwork—tie up the third wheel or whatever to make it work. Neji's smart; he'll cooperate with us just to pass. And me and Naruko? We're basically a perfect duo already, her raw power and my precision. We'll have those bells before he finishes his stupid book.
But as I thought that, Kakashi paused mid-sentence, his visible eye locking onto me with this strange look, like he'd just caught a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Then, without a word, he dropped one of the bells. It hit the concrete with a faint tink, and before I could blink, he stomped down hard. The force cracked the roof, driving it deep into the surface with a crunch that sent up a dust cloud of pulverized concrete. When it cleared, there was a perfect sandal-shaped impression left behind, the bells buried like forgotten relics.
I froze, brain short-circuiting. What the actual fuck?
"And there goes my hopes of that," Kakashi sighed, the closest thing to a scowl I'd ever seen from him faintly tugging at the edges of his mask.
I was still completely shocked, staring at the crater like it was a genjutsu I could dispel if I glared hard enough. Not able to comprehend. What just happened?
He crossed his arms, eyeing me with that lazy scrutiny. "I don't know how, but I can tell you figured out the bell test already, Sasuke. It wouldn't even be a challenge for you three. The Hyuga here would side with you two for no other reason than trusting the only other non-idiot in the group—"
"Hey!" Naruko yelped, puffing up indignantly.
"—and Naruko would do anything her boyfriend asks her to."
Both of us blurted it out at the same time: "Not my boyfriend!" from her, and "Not my girlfriend!" from me. Her face flushed beet red, and I felt my own heating up like I'd swallowed a fireball jutsu.
Kakashi just gave us this 'case in point' look, all smug and knowing, before plowing on to me. "And you'd sooner hand a bell to her and self-train for the next year because you're already basically a housewife for her."
"I am not a housewife!" I snapped, mortified.
"Do you cook for her?"
"She burnt water on my stove, of course I cook!"
"Do you clean up the house she lives in?"
"I make her clean up her own mess, but she gets distracted, so I end up doing most of it."
"Do you wash her clothes?"
"Do you honestly think Naruko knows the steps to wash clothes?"
There was a pause, heavy and damning, and Kakashi's eye crinkled. "It's even worse. You're basically a stay-at-home mother."
Naruko was flushed completely red now, barely stifling her laughs behind her hands, snorting like she was about to explode. Neji was basically attempting to ignore everything, staring off into the distance like he could will himself invisible, but failing miserably; his jaw was clenched, and he looked even more ready to just be done with this day, probably regretting every life choice that led him here.
My face was burning.
Kakashi waved it off with a chuckle. "Alright, I'll stop tormenting Mrs. Uzumaki—" which set Naruko giggling again, high-pitched and uncontrollable.
He straightened up, getting serious, or as serious as he ever got. "New test, thanks to Sasuke being a spoilsport; get the bell off me. Singular. And I recommend you come at me with up to lethal force, otherwise you aren't gonna win."
I was back to being angry now, the embarrassment flipping straight to irritation, at him making fun of me, at him making things difficult just because he could. Asshole.
Kakashi turned to leave, but paused at the edge of the roof. "Oh, and I'd recommend you not eat beforehand, or you may vomit." Then he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving that parting shot hanging in the air.
I stared at the spot he'd been, fuming, then turned to the other two, specifically locking eyes with Neji. "I will be requiring your assistance in preparation for tomorrow's test."
Neji returned the look, his eyes almost completely expressionless from him being a damned Hyuga. "What is the plan, Mrs. Uzumaki?"
Naruko then howled in laughter, doubling over and slapping her knee like it was the funniest thing since explosive tags.
xRSxxRSxxRSx
Neji's Byakugan pulsed faintly in the dim moonlight, veins bulging around his pale eyes as he scanned Kakashi's modest house from their hidden vantage point in the treeline. The world was revealed to him in stark clarity, chakra networks, hidden seals, even the furniture through walls. Sasuke crouched beside him, Sharingan inactive for now, his presence a steady, if irritating, anchor in this absurd midnight stakeout. Naruko, meanwhile, was back at the Uchiha compound, her army of clones churning out explosive tags and fuinjutsu scribbles like a chaotic factory. Neji hated every second of this. The Hyuga clan's prized dojutsu, a legacy of precision and combat supremacy, reduced to... this. Peering into pockets for a pervert's reading material.
"See anything different about it?" Sasuke asked, his voice a low murmur that cut through the night air.
If Neji weren't so focused, sweeping through the house layer by layer, confirming the figure in the bed was the real Kakashi; the chakra signature matched, no henge distortions, and checking for patrolling clones as Sasuke warned was possible, he'd have turned and glared daggers at the Uchiha. As it was, he kept his gaze fixed ahead, jaw tight. "As if I would have a reference to what is normal or abnormal for a smut book."
"You know what I mean, Neji. Quit being pedantic. Is there a date mark for release or something?"
Neji suppressed a sigh, delving deeper into the visual dissection. He peeled through the layers of Kakashi's discarded vest on the chair, zooming in on the book tucked in the inner pocket. The cover was pristine, pages white and crisp, but stamped faintly on the inside flap, was a publication date… next year? And on one of the front pages, a handwritten note in looping script: 'A happy birthday to you, Kakashi.' He relayed it to Sasuke verbatim.
Sasuke's response was a disturbingly vicious grin, teeth flashing in the shadows as he muttered, "Perfect."
With that, Sasuke straightened up. "We're done for the night."
Neji deactivated his Byakugan with a blink, the veins receding as a dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. It was nearly midnight, and he'd been pushing the dojutsu hard all evening, scoping the entire Training Ground 7 earlier, mapping trap placements, escape routes, and ambush points.
Fatigue tugged at him, but he masked it behind his usual stoic facade. Despite the indignity of it all, he was more than thankful to be teamed with Sasuke. The Uchiha was intelligent, driven, a strategic mind that could rival the best in the clan. Naruko... she was basically a package deal, unfortunately. Loud, unpredictable, a whirlwind of chaos that somehow complemented Sasuke's precision, but Neji would sooner not admit that aloud.
They slipped away from the treeline in silence, shadows melting into the village paths as they headed back to the Uchiha compound. Plans needed refining, and Naruko would demand an update, no doubt with that grating enthusiasm of hers.
End chapter: