𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

The Testing

"Yuudai, I want you to take a paper from Sasuke and hold it in your hands," directed Shisui carefully, after I guided a rather shaken looking Yuudai into the playroom. Behind us, the blond man- whose name I found out to be Naruto- shut the door, and stood guard outside. Yuudai looked up at me with fear written all over his face.

"Nee-chan?"

I smiled encouragingly at him.

With shaking hands, Yuudai took a piece of paper from the box which Sasuke held lazily in his hands, and grasped it with both hands. I waited for Shisui to give the next instruction, but he didn't. Instead, he was staring intently at the paper, as if waiting for something to happen. Twenty seconds passed, and Shisui nodded, jotting down notes on his clipboard.

"Thank you, Yuudai," he said, dismissing the little boy. "Next- Miho Akiyama." I guided Yuudai back to the kitchen where the others awaited, took Miho, and brought her back to the room.

"You'll be fine," I whispered as Miho and I entered the room, Naruto giving her a reassuring smile. Miho took a deep breath and walked in, seeing Sasuke and Shisui waiting for her in the middle of the room. Shisui looked up and nudged Sasuke to hold out his hand, which he begrudgingly did so.

"Miho, please take a paper from this box and hold it in your hands," said Shisui, watching Miho very intently. With a gulp, she nodded, and gingerly grabbed a paper from the little box. Ten, twenty seconds passed, and nothing happened.

"Thank you, Miho. Next- Jun Miyamoto." Uninterestingly enough, the next three children went past without anything happening to the paper. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, because Shisui and Sasuke's faces were unreadable. Jun went past, then Sousuke, then Kurumi, and we got to Ryo's turn.

"Are you soldiers?" asked the little boy as soon as we entered the room, making me sweatdrop. Shisui chuckled, and nodded at Ryo.

"You bet. Sasuke, give it to him." Sasuke stooped down and held out the box to Ryo, who meticulously reached in and grabbed a paper without being asked. "Ryo, can you hold the paper up for me? Thanks."

Ryo held the paper in front of his face, frowning in concentration. I giggled at the cute little serious look on his face.

But then, all of a sudden, the paper ignited, prompting me to scream and leap forward to snatch it out of his hands. He dropped it with a horrified look on his face, watching it crumble into ash at my feet as I grabbed him and pulled him out of harm's way.

Then the realisation hit me.

That was the chakra test.

Shisui looked pleased with his finding, nodding as he took notes on his clipboard. Sasuke merely looked unimpressed, rising back up to his normal height.

"Thank you, Ryo," said Shisui sweetly, nodding at the shaking boy in my arms. "Can we have Yuki next, please? I seem to have skipped over her, my bad."

I left the room with Ryo, who instantly cried out, "Nee-chan! What happened?! I was holding the paper, and it just-" He made a loud explosion noise, using his arms to emphasise just how sudden it had been. I shook my head, now beginning to fear for Ryo and his future ahead.

"I don't know, I don't know," I said in a rush, dropping Ryo off to the kitchen where the rest of the children waited, with Ino, Sai, and Kyoko. "Yuki, come." I led her to the room, where she was asked the same thing by Shisui. I waited with bated breath as Yuki took a paper from Sasuke, where it promptly split itself into two at her first touch. She squealed and dropped the two halves, disbelief in her eyes.

I watched on in desperation. Yuki and Ryo.

"Thank you, Yuki. Now..." Shisui deftly dealt with the next three children, choosing not to test the infants on the very basis that they were too young. Thankfully, neither Naoki, Reina or Mika bore any signs of configuring the chakra paper, and I sighed with a heavy heart.

"Kohana, now we ask that you bring your coworkers, please," said Shisui politely. I nodded numbly, sweeping up little Mika into my arms and scurrying back to the kitchen. The three other caretakers were busy trying to entertain the children, while Ryo was animatedly explaining about how his piece of paper had set itself alight. Yuki, on the other hand, sat on her own, a haunted look in her eyes as she stared off into the distance.

I handed Mika over to Kyoko, and in a breathless voice said, "Ino, Sai and I have to go now." Judging by Kyoko's fearful stare, she was already fearing the worst for Ryo, and I smiled weakly at her.

"We'll be fine." Ino and Sai linked hands, before following me to the playroom.

"Ino Yamanaka, Sai Shimura. If you could please take a paper each from this box," directed Shisui, pointing with his pen to Sasuke. Seeing the Uchiha, Ino blushed slightly, but looked away as she reached in and grabbed a paper. I waited.

Sai's piece of paper turned to dirt and crumbled away.

Ino's paper turned to dirt and crumbled away.

Both of them looked horrified.

Shisui grinned, and jotted down their information.

"Thank you," he said, nodding at the couple. "Now, Kohana, if you don't mind."

My stomach was churning with butterflies as I stepped forward and took a paper from Sasuke. He looked up at me with a sly smirk, and I gulped nervously.

I held the paper in my hands.

There was nothing.

I waited anxiously for something to happen, but nothing did. Then-

"AAAAAH MY GOD-" I leered as the paper grew damp in my hands, then jumped as the seemingly wet paper burst into flames before my very eyes, prompting me to drop it to the ground like a hot potato. I thought I was surprised, but Shisui and Sasuke looked just as taken aback.

"Kohana, can you please grab another paper?" asked Shisui, looking thoroughly intrigued. I did so, although agitated, and held the paper away from my face, where the same procedure occurred. The paper saturated itself before bursting into flames, and crumbling away in my hands.

I looked at the two soldiers with fear in my eyes, though they looked more perplexed than they did satisfied.

"Again," ordered Sasuke, giving me an inquisitive look that I couldn't quite comprehend.

I obliged, and we met the same result, albeit with much more force than the previous two times.

The paper fully wet itself, before bursting into a bright flame and crumbling all over the floor.

Shisui now scribbled all over his clipboard, brow furrowed, before looking up and nodding at Sasuke.

"We're done," said the General boredly, shutting the box and stuffing it back into his pocket. "Get out and wait for us. We'll come and tell you who we're taking." His eyes held a nasty glint as he watched me leave, and I avoided his gaze. As we were leaving, Ino bounded towards me and threw her arms around my neck, silently sobbing as we left. I was still shaken by my ordeal.

Why was I the only one who had to redo the test? What had I done wrong?

"You did nothing wrong," said Ino in a small voice, Sai coming from beside me and putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked at Ino with wide eyes.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" She looked up at me with her tear filled blue eyes.

"What?" I shook my head, brushing off her little remark. That test had me in a tizzy. I was just overthinking things.

"We're so done," I said mournfully, not wanting to walk into the kitchen and face Kyoko and the children.

Something was definitely wrong.

What else could grab Sasuke's attention like that?