The Dragon Ninja

Chapter 14

                (Sapphire)

I would've loved to collapse where I stood and sleep, but right after we left the forest of doom, we were forced to go to some sort of assembly.

It was in some open stone plain, or something, and we were lined up with our teams. The hokager, or whatever, stood in front of us and kept babbling on about how so many people actually passed the second exam. There was some mute in me at the time that even now, I don't remember a single word he said besides "preliminaries".

After his long drone about the "preliminaries", or whatever, we went with our teacher and team on the balcony over where we were previously standing. I then realized that where we were standing was the arena.

I sat down and closed my eyes and they drew the first two names and, because of irony, Sasuke was first.

He was against some man I had never seen before, but Sasuke was strong, he should've been able to fight on his own.

Sasuke was an interesting character to me. Distant, yet there. Cold, but soft. He was always distancing himself from his team for whatever reasons he may have, but he was present. He left a resonance among the other members that shows that he was in fact there. He was cold, like very, but in my mind, there wasn't much you needed to do to get him to a place where he is soft and warm. It's like he's fighting himself to be happy or to complete something.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a completely different story. He full heartedly believed in himself and was not afraid to embrace people and their morels. He loved to live his life and clearly didn't have internal conflicts, for the most part. He was genuinely concerned or depressed by something, but his excited and pleasant aura nullified whatever distressed him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked and I looked at the arena. Sasuke was getting beat a little, but I assume, nothing he couldn't handle.

Sakura was another different story. I really didn't understand as to how they chose these groups. She is obsessed with Sasuke, a person whom I thought was pretty annoying, and didn't appreciate that Naruto had genuine feelings for her. Whatever, it didn't matter anyway, I thought Naruto and that shy, purple haired girl looked cuter together anyway.

"He'll be fine," I assured her without standing up. She looked at me weirdly for a second and then continued to focus on the match.

"Sapphire, I suggest that you stand up and watch your teammate," Kakashi said as he narrowed his eye at me.

"He's my teammate for a limited amount of time, so right about when this shit ends. Can I please just get some rest? I wish you forced them to take me off this team, I didn't want to get wrapped up into this," I said to him and he nodded.

"I know you didn't, but this might take longer than expected, why don't you just sit down and enjoy the ride," he suggested and I sighed quietly.

"If it were that easy, I wouldn't want to go home so bad," I told him and with that, he left me alone. I looked over and saw that boy from before. Nargot, or something like that. The one from the forest with hair longer than mine now. I stood up and walked towards him.

"Oh, what do you need?" he asked me when he had noticed me. His little friend noticed me as well.

"And who is this fine person entering my field of vision?" another familiar boy asked. He had large circular eyes and bowl-styled hair.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe, or remember, whether we formally met. My name is Sapphire Lovelock, currently an add-on with Team 7. I just wanted to thank whoever helped my team while we were in the forest," I said politely.

"It was no problem! I wanted to help my precious Sakura," he said as he looked over my shoulder and blew. Wow, another person with genuine feelings for her.

"It was no problem at all. We were glad we could help," Nargot said as he put a hand over his face.

"And your names are?" I asked slowly, pretty sure that Nargot wasn't his name and realizing that I have met close to all of them before, but I couldn't remember any of their names.

"Neji Hyuga," he responded as he held out his other hand. I shook it.

"And I'm the leaf village's handsome devil, Rock Lee!" Rock Lee said as he flicked his black hair to one side, only to have it fall back in the exact same place.

"Well, that was all I had to say so," I turned around, but someone grabbed my arm.

"Um," Rock Lee stammered behind me. I turned around, thinking I would see Rock Lee, but it was Neji who had grabbed me.

"Friday, like at 9, will you please meet me in town. Like at the ramen shop," he stuttered and his entire team looked at him in shock.

"Of course, I'd love to go out with you, if that is what your trying to imply," I laughed a little and a girl with two buns walked up to us.

"Neji, look at how bold you've gotten!" she exclaimed while a man who looked exactly like Rock Lee came up as well. He was a older man, who I assumed was their teacher.

"Yes," he started as he gave Neji a firm pat on his back, "this is how you must get all the women."

"It's not like that!" he protested, but not sounding whiny. "I simply wish to speak with her more, nothing else."

"Speaking, yes of course," the girl started, "because that's what every man thinks of doing on a date." He scoffed and then focused his attention back onto me.

"So Friday?" he asked shyly.

"Of course," I smiled and nodded. His team continued to bicker and congratulate him amongst themselves and I snuck away. When I walked back over, Sasuke's match was over and Kakashi was gone.

"Who won?" I asked Naruto.

"Sasuke, like always," he responded with a big smile.