Lost in the Whirlwind (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 28

"Wake up, kiddos!"

Naruto and I groaned at the loud, booming voice that could only be described as Asuma's. I pulled the blanket to cover my face when Asuma, ever the stubborn one, opened the curtains and the windows so that the bright rays of sunlight would hit me directly in my eyes.

"I hate mornings." Naruto grumbled from my side.

"I hate them even more when Asuma is here." I replied, my voice raspy with sleepiness.

Asuma grabbed the two of us by our ankles, and a feeling of dread clutched my heart. One moment we were cozy in our bed, and the next, I felt a familiar sinking feeling, accompanied by the harsh wind hitting me across my face.

Oh my god. He threw us off the window!

Reflexes that could only come with years of training took over and I landed on my feet, and heard Naruto do the same right after.

"You psycho!" Naruto screamed, pointing his finger accusingly at Asuma. The said psycho grinned, lighting up his morning cigarette before turning around and waving his hand.

"Go get ready for your genin exams today. I'll have someone make breakfast for you."

Normally, I'd be nervous for an exam, but this time, I wasn't, and I knew Naruto wasn't either. We had trained too hard for this, practiced the Transformation Technique a thousand times and more. We knew how to do it by the heart.

The written exam was a little bit more difficult. I made sure to place myself in the middle ranks for the past years. Naruto was somewhere in the middle ranks too, but I was fairly certain he would do well today.

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And I wasn't wrong. The test went smoothly, and I could see most of the main cast coming out with their brand new headbands and wide grins etched onto their faces.

I looked at the Konoha symbol and clutched the shining headband in my hand, testing its weight. I didn't love Konoha, but it filled me with a strange sort of pride to see my hard work paying off and accomplishing another milestone in this life.

The sun was starting to set, and I frowned, wondering what was taking Naruto so long. Surely he would pass this time? A lump caught in my throat when my gaze caught him walking out of the building with Mizuki-sensei, but the feeling of restlessness dissipated when I saw the headband securely tied around his head.

They talked, and talked, and talked. For a second I considered interrupting them to bring Naruto home, but I'd rather avoid contact with the suspicious-looking teacher if possible.

The more they talked, the more Naruto's eyes sparkled. Mizuki-sensei gave his usual eye-smile before patting the blonde's shoulder. Excitement practically seeped out of Naruto's body when he dashed into the direction opposite of our house, climbing and jumping from tree to tree with the speed that would make Yamada-sensei proud.

I raised my eyebrow at the display of enthusiasm, but when I caught Mizuki-sensei's lips faintly tilting upwards on one side, realization dawned onto me.

Naruto was going to steal the Scroll of Seals.

I cursed under my breath and turned around to dash after Naruto. I didn't know what reason Mizuki had given Naruto to make him want to steal the scroll even after passing the exams, and to be absolutely honest, I didn't care.