On our way back to the village from Wave country, Sakura wouldn't stop fawning over Sasuke.
"My baby's alive," she cheered frequently much to his annoyance. "I would've died without you...Like Romeo and Juliet..."
Sasuke wouldn't acknowledge her or anyone else for that matter. Naruto and I were the only ones talking, happily chatting about the parts of the battle we both missed. Kakashi kept stealing curious glances at me, and I wondered what he was thinking about.
"How about a date now, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked when we reached the gates of Konoha. "Life's too short not to."
"No," Sasuke retorted, rolling his eyes. "We should be busy training. That last mission kicked all of our asses. We need to be ready for anything."
"Never stop!" Naruto agreed, hopping at least three feet in the air. "I mean, unless Sakura wants to go on a date with me..."
He looked at Sakura hopefully. Naruto, why are you so obsessed with Sakura? I thought in my head.
"UGH! I asked Sasuke!" Sakura groaned. "NOT YOU!"
Sakura and Naruto then continued to argue about dating, beginning with Naruto listing reasons why Sakura should go out with him.
"...I'm an awesome ninja, I have cute whiskers, I'm super strong, I'm the next Hokage..."
Kakashi eyed me. "How do you fit into this weird love triangle?" he sighed, pointing at my three teammates.
"What? Me? No way," I said, crossing my arms.
"Good. I need one other sane person."
"I'm sane," Sasuke said, annoyed.
"....My smile, I'm funny, I'm a blonde bombshell..."
"I like Sasuke-kun's hair," Sakura said, batting her eyelashes at Sasuke who continued to ignore her. "Black hair is the best."
"We kind of have a rainbow going on here," I remarked, noticing the pink, black, blonde, white, and red hair on each of us. "And Sasuke's hair literally pales in comparison to Kakashi's. Am I right?"
"Got a crush?" Sakura shot at me. "Don't you think Kakashi is a little too old for you? Whatever, as long as you stay clear of Sasuke."
"Maybe calling him Santa was just a cover-up before," Naruto said, stifling a huge laugh.
"Let us know when you're done fantasizing about me and ready to get back to business," Kakashi said, and Sakura and Naruto burst out into laughter.
"I hate you guys," I said.
Naruto stopped badgering Sakura about dating him, taking a hint way better than she ever could. Then Sasuke and Naruto started up about who was stronger. Kakashi broke up the fight.
"Come on, guys. Break it up. You're on the same team, remember? What happened to the teamwork commitment?"
"We need family therapy," I chimed.
"I'm out of here," Sasuke said shortly, beginning to walk home.
"Sasuke? The date?" Sakura called hopefully.
"Dude, enough," Sasuke told her darkly.
"He called you 'dude,' that's a bad sign," I told her sadly. "Friend-zoned."
"You're even worse than Naruto," Sasuke told her. Her face fell, her spirits crushed. "Chasing me around like a stupid idiot. Get serious about being a ninja and then maybe you'd be in my league."
"Hey, dude, don't you think you're being a little harsh?" I said to Sasuke, coming to Sakura's defense. "Don't be a bully!"
Sakura turned to me angrily. "STOP ACTING LIKE WE'RE FRIENDS! BECAUSE WE'RE NOT!" she screamed.
"I give up," I breathed out. "100% done."
Sasuke walked away, and Sakura crept away too, probably to follow him some more. She was hopeless, totally hopeless.
Kakashi looked at Naruto and I. "Can you guys be friends, at least?" he pleaded.
Naruto and I shook hands, grinning at each other. "Don't worry, Kakashi. Ai and I are BFFLADs," Naruto said.
"Whatever the hell that means," Kakashi said.
"We are arguably the craziest of the group, but somehow have the most stable relationship of the group," I realized out loud. We high-fived each other at this news.
Kakashi sighed. "We're doomed."
He disappeared from the scene. Naruto and I shrugged.
"What should we do now?" I said.
"Let's go get some ramen!" Naruto shouted brightly.
We started to walk more into town. Suddenly, standing in our path were two unfamiliar ninjas. They wore headbands that were not from Konoha...
My heart skipped. The Sand Village. It was a girl with blonde hair and a huge fan attached to her, and a tall guy covered in black clothing with weird purple markings on his face...
"You're interested in our headbands," the girl remarked loudly, noticing my surprised look at her forehead.
"Oh, it's just I visited your country a few months ago," I said, flustered at being addressed so brashly.
"I'm guessing you didn't get past security?" the boy with purple marks on his face retorted, snorting.
"I could've if I wanted to," I shot back.
"A tiny ninja like you?" he teased.
I inched over to him with a dark expression on my face.
"I am four feet, eleven inches, and three-quarters – I will destroy you."
"It's a scary midget," he remarked to the girl.
"Shut up, Kankuro. I'm Temari," she said. "This is my brother who is basically the village idiot."
Kankuro slapped her arm. She barely reacted. She spoke to me again. "Sorry we weren't more accommodating when you visited. We are grateful for your warmer welcome here in the Leaf village."
Then I thought: If these Sand ninja were here, could he be here? My heart skipped again at the possibility for seeing him again.
"I'm Tasura Ai," I told them. "Why are you—"
"I'M NARUTO!" Naruto screamed.
"And I'm Uchiha Sasuke."
The four of us looked up in the tree above us and saw Sasuke sitting in a branch, looking down at the scene, narrowing his eyes at the Sand boy and girl.
"What a drama queen," I said, shaking my head and meeting Temari's gaze. "I apologize for him. He always has to make an entrance."
"He's so cool," Sakura gushed, walking up to the group out of nowhere (probably had been following Sasuke), and then evilly eyeing Temari who was looking at Sasuke like she was interested.
Suddenly, a large figure jumped down from above Sasuke, landing next to him on the tree branch gracefully. I gasped loudly, genuinely taken aback. My heart stopped beating for a good three seconds.
It was him.
I didn't even know his name. He had red hair, my name, Ai, tattooed on his forehead, and attached to his back, a large container which from our brief encounter back then I knew was full of sand. I felt so connected to him in a way that demanded the absence of words... Seeing him gave me this mystifying feeling that something life-changing was going to happen.
"That's our brother, Gaara," Temari said neutrally, but she looked at him with a fearful expression. Like he was a ticking bomb and she wasn't sure when he was going to explode.
Gaara.
I had sensed incredible power and darkness from him, and the darker side of myself was pulled towards him in a weird, wonderful way. I tried to meet his eyes, but he wasn't looking at me. Did he just not notice me? Or was it on purpose? Was he not going to acknowledge meeting me before? Did he even remember?
"Why are you here anyway?" Sakura asked Temari while my head spun around and around. "People from different villages normally come for a reason."
Temari nodded, looking at me again. "Normally."
"The Chuunin exam," Kankuro answered. "It's in one week. Duh. Will you twerps be entering?"
"Chuunin exam?" Naruto asked. "We just became Genin like a month ago. Gee, I dunno. Should we?"
Kankuro rolled his eyes. "If you have to ask, you'll never know."
"Well, it's one week, so if not, you'll have to wait until the next one," Temari explained. "Listen, we'll just stay out of your way until the exam just in case you're entering. It's better not to fraternize beforehand."
She shot me another look and then looked up at Gaara.
"You never know what may happen," Gaara added darkly.
He finally looked at me, and his bright, cold eyes seemed to bore into my soul. But it gave me a sick feeling of dread. Guess he wanted me to know that on the enemy-friend spectrum, I was definitely less of an acquaintance and more of a rival.
Why? Did he feel threatened by me? But why? I'm so confused. And sad. I wanted him to acknowledge the connection that we shared.
Naruto noticed him looking at me like he wanted to murder me on the spot.
"Do you know that guy?" Naruto asked in a low voice out of the corner of his mouth.
I gave a quick jerk of my head, signaling 'no'.
Gaara transported via sand from the tree to the ground, turning back towards Sasuke before he left.
"So you're teammates?" His eyes darted between Sasuke and I.
Naruto studied Gaara closely. "You have her name tattooed on your forehead!" he exclaimed, pointing at Gaara's face. "That's SO weird!"
Gaara's sand suddenly darted for Naruto and wrapped tightly around his middle. Naruto gasped for breaths as he was lifted into the air.
"I—can't—breathe!" Naruto choked. "Put—me—down!"
I screamed, "STOP! YOU'RE CRUSHING HIM!"
"IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER!" Gaara shouted, his eyes bulging. "I'll kill you!"
I put my hands together and channeled my steam towards them, summoning my chakra. Nothing. My chakra felt...blocked.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" I demanded in frustration. This was scary. Had he done something to me? I couldn't access my chakra at all.
"Gaara, not now!" Temari yelled. "We'll be disqualified from the exam. It's not worth it - he's just a kid!"
Gaara released Naruto suddenly. Naruto dropped to the ground with a loud thud, the sand darting back to its owner. I ran to Naruto's side to help him up. What was this guy playing at? Was he really that evil?
"That word is on my forehead for one reason alone...the love to kill."
"Maybe we'll see you in the exam," Kankuro said, sighing with relief. "If you're not too scared already."
He glanced at Gaara nervously. Then all three of them fled from the scene. I couldn't believe he had showed up right here in Konoha. But refused to acknowledge me at all. And attacked my favorite teammate. Who was this guy, really? And why did I still want to know him?
"Dude, what is with that guy?" Naruto said, shaking it off. "Mr. Attitude, am I right? I think I have sand in my eye. Ow." He blinked several times trying to get it out. "Jeez. It won't come out."
"Ai...do you know him, or is the tattoo really a coincidence?" Sasuke asked.
"No...I don't know him," I said honestly.
We split off to go home after that, all of us feeling a little unsettled, especially me. When I arrived home, I ended up walking right back out of my house, unable to stay indoors. Night had fallen at this point. And I was feeling restless. I felt like going through a walk through the forest at night, to take some of the edge off.
I walked around for a while, trying to clear my head. Then I climbed a tree to feel some sort of familiar comfort, and settled into a branch, feeling the solid hard bark of the trunk behind my back, and the leaves from the branch above tickled my forehead. I sighed, letting out some of my anxiety.
Then I heard them
.
"God, Konoha is so...quaint, you know?"
"You're such an idiot, Kisame."
Voices from below. I leaned over and though it was pitch black, I could make out two figures walking below me. Then they stopped right below my branch. I froze, sensing they might not be friends exactly.
"Why did we stop walking?"
"Because, it seems, we are no longer alone."
My heart dropped. They both looked up into trees. It was most likely too dark to see me, but they knew I was here.
"Show yourself, girl."
Well, I didn't really have a choice now, did I?
I jumped down from my branch, instantly on guard, removing a kunai from my belt. "I come in peace!" I shouted, shoving my kunai out in front of me in a very non-peaceful way.
"Calm down, we won't hurt you. If you behave."
The figure stepped into the moonlight, illuminating his face. I studied it closely. He had black hair hanging down on either side of his very serious-looking face, red glowing eyes with dark lines beneath them. Red eyes...Sharingan... He looked like Sasuke, I realized. An older version of Sasuke. Definitely related. Maybe a brother. Wait. Could it be...?
"You look familiar," I told him slowly. "Do I know you?"
"I don't think so. But I know you," Itachi said, his red eyes gleaming. "Tasura Ai, isn't that right?"
"Big deal, I'm popular. If you're trying to intimidate me, it's gonna take more than knowing my name."
I was surprised how bold my voice sounded. I sensed these two were very powerful, and if they were to attack, I probably didn't stand a chance alone.
"My name is Uchiha Itachi. Perhaps you know my brother. He's about your age now," Itachi told me, glancing towards Konoha momentarily, confirming my thoughts.
Then I noticed the other guy with him named Kisame. He stepped into view as well, and he had rather blue-tinted skin, small yellow eyes, and slits in his face like gills. He reminded me of a fish. Or a shark, depending on dangerous he really was.
"Who are you supposed to be, Shark Boy? Shark Boy and Lava Girl? Is this for real?"
"The name's Kisame," he growled, narrowing his eyes at me into smaller yellow slits. "But don't you dare kiss-a-me. A little joke. Ha." Then he reconsidered, staring at me. "You're kind of cute, though, huh?"
I instinctively started to get mad, but then I smiled sweetly and gave a little curtsy, deciding to go with it. "Yeah, guess I am cute, huh? Makes you not want to hurt me, right? Who'd want to hurt a little girl?" I giggled nervously.
"Why are you out here alone?" Kisame asked me curiously. "Seems kind of strange for you to just run into us...alone," he said again.
Itachi shook his head. "No one else is here. Of that, I am sure."
"I couldn't sleep so I went for walk," I said shrugging. "You're too paranoid."
Itachi rolled his eyes. "And you're too nonchalant. You should know it's a bad idea for you to go walking around alone at night outside of Konoha, of all people."
"Of all people? What do you mean?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. "I just spent a year outside of Konoha by myself."
"What a missed opportunity. What do you think, Itachi? Should we just take her now? She kind of just walked right into our lap here," Kisame said excitedly, and my stomach dropped. Take me? Take me where? Take me why?
"Wait, why?" I asked anxiously. "As like a hostage or something for Konoha?"
Itachi and Kisame looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Hello? Is something funny?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "I don't like to be on the outside of a joke, okay?"
"Oh, you're hilarious," Kisame said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Itachi, she's gonna be a piece of cake. Strawberry shortcake. Get it, because of her hair?" Itachi was glaring at him. "Okay, okay. No more jokes. Any final words, girlie?"
"My favorite food is fish sticks," I told him evilly. Sometimes I really didn't know when to shut up.
He immediately reached to grab me, and his hands met steam before he got to me.
"OUCH!" he shouted, retrieving back his hand, now burning red and throbbing. "She's HOT. But like TEMPERATURE HOT now! F*CK!" He rubbed his hand blowing on it. "Okay, maybe we don't take her now if it's gonna be trouble. It's not the right time anyway."
Itachi shook his head. "Of course we don't. You're so dumb sometimes, Kisame. Listen, Ai, you're not going to tell anyone you saw us. Because if you do, we hurt people you care about. Villagers of Konoha...the Hokage...even your own teammates, including Sasuke. So I'd keep your mouth shut."
"How do I know you won't hurt them anyway?"
"Because we're not here for them, not here for Konoha. We're here for...you."
"What do you want from me?"
"Want from you? Oh, sweet Ai, we need you," Itachi said, eyes closed. "But you'll find out in good time, my love. Ignorance is bliss, and I want you to have that as long as you possibly can. Don't let me down, okay?"
Then he stepped closer to me, forcing me to back up against the tree. I tensed up, every fiber of my being on edge. His hand reached for my face, and this time my steam didn't activate to protect me. His fingertips grazed my skin, trailing down my cheek. They felt cold. I shivered.
"You're lucky we're letting you go," Kisame barked from behind Itachi.
Itachi leaned his lips into my ear, I could just barely feel them brushing against my skin there. I froze in place, shivers running down my spine.
Itachi whispered, "But maybe it is 'cause you're cute."
I felt paralyzed, a blush uncontrollably creeping across my face. I had no idea what these guys were all about, but I sensed power, I sensed extreme power, and I was very uncomfortable.
Itachi had murdered his entire clan including his own parents without a second thought. Who's to say he wouldn't come back and hurt Sasuke? Or other villagers? He was a rogue ninja and very dangerous. But the confusing part was...what did they want from me? Why were they even here? What did they mean about it not being the right time?
I wanted to know what I had to do with anything. But I didn't want to ask any more questions if they were just gonna let me go right now. The sooner they left, the better.
"Do we have a deal?" Kisame grunted.
"Yes...Mr. Shark Man," I said politely, feeling very stiff.
"Good girl," Itachi purred quietly.
Kisame grunted. "I'm not gonna forget you burned me, you little brat," he said huffing. "Sharks have great memories, did you know?"
"Really? That doesn't make any sense because they're instinctive, spontaneous creatures—"
"What a know-it-all," Kisame said, rolling his eyes. "I don't like her." He pointed his two fingers to his eyes and then at mine, like I'm watching you.
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Come on, you big baby. Let's go. Goodbye, Tasura Ai. Please don't say hi to Sasuke for me."
As quick as I could when they were gone, I ran back into Konoha feeling even more shaken than before.
What the hell was happening? First, Gaara appears in my town, basically threatening my life, and now this? Two strange men, one of them Sasuke's rogue brother who murdered his whole clan including their parents near Konoha? Should I tell someone? I couldn't risk people getting hurt...they were obviously powerful. Plus it didn't seem like they were going to harm anyone unless I did tell. But what did they mean...not ready for me yet? Were they going to someday seek me out? For what purpose?
I was so lost in thought, I walked right into someone in the street.
"Watch where you're going!" Then I saw who it was. "Sasuke!" I gasped. "What are you doing out so late?"
"Isn't this a little past your bedtime?" he shot back at me.
"I...I couldn't sleep," I said for the second time that night. Did Sasuke know Itachi was near? He didn't seem particularly angry or on guard, so I suspected no. But it was a strange coincidence for him to be walking around in the middle of the night the same night I run into Itachi outside Konoha.
Sasuke considered. "I'll kill you if you tell anyone this, but...well, I get nightmares and I don't like to be in the house alone after, so..."
"Wow. That's the most sensitive thing I've ever heard you say," I said awkwardly. "I mean, sorry about that. I get nightmares too. They, uh, they suck."
For the first time, I realized Sasuke was like Naruto and I – no parents, no family, solo, alone. But he was different, secluding himself from the rest of the world while Naruto and I preferred to seek the company and recognition of others. Did he really like being alone? Or did he want...to open up to someone?
Sasuke looked away. "Anyway, you should go home. The way that guy Gaara looked at you earlier...it may not be safe right now for you to be roaming at night alone.
"I can handle my own," I said, flexing. "So it wasn't just me? Gaara was being super sketchy towards me, right?"
Sasuke nodded. "Ai, you don't, like, know him, do you? I know I asked you already, but..."
"I did meet him before. Just once. When I visited the Sand Village. But he didn't act like that."
Sasuke shook his head. "He's dangerous, Ai. I'd stay away from him."
I nodded slowly. But the truth was, I didn't want to stay away from him. No matter how dangerous he was.
"I'll make sure you get home," Sasuke said, and walked with me back to my house. We were mostly silent, but for the first time, I felt like maybe Sasuke wasn't just my teammate, but was my friend.
"Goodnight, Sasuke," I said, honestly grateful for the company after the intense day I had. "Thanks, you know, for making sure I got home. Even though I could totally defend myself! I'm a super strong ninja! Don't forget!"
"I know," he said, snorting. "It just, well, it made me feel better to know you got home. Night." Hands in his pockets, he walked away. I smiled after him, feeling a little calmer. That Sasuke.
That night, I dreamt of sharks with glowing red and black eyes chasing me out of the water as I ran towards a dreary, windy sandy beach. But when I reached the shore, the sand pulled me down, and I sank into it...unable to pull myself out...
In the morning, Kakashi knocked on my door, waking me up from my restless slumber.
"What is it? Training?" I asked, yawning, opening the door in my pajamas.
"No...I just had to talk to you."
"Come in," I said, opening the door. "Is this about the Chuunin exam?" My voice was hopeful.
Kakashi stepped inside. He handed me a ticket. "I nominate you and the rest of Team 7 for the exam. It's in a few days. I know it's short notice. That's why it's completely up to each of you if you want to accept."
Wow. Boy, did I. "What do you think?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows and flexing my biceps.
This was a big decision, after all. It could be really dangerous. Especially with ninja like Gaara in it. But Gaara participating made me want to do it even more.
"Don't let me down," Kakashi said lightly and then left, shutting the door behind him.
"I guess that's a yes!" I said cheerfully.
I danced around the room, feeling excited. Then I ran over to Naruto's house a few streets away.
"NARUTO!" I called, letting myself in.
Naruto was jumping up and down around his living room to heavy rock music. "CHUUNIN! CHUUNIN!" he chanted.
"I guess Kakashi stopped by!" I cheered gleefully, joining him, jumping up and down on the couch, playing air guitar along to the guitar solo featured in the song.
"YUP! We're gonna go to the Chuunin exam!" he cheered back, jumping off the couch doing a high kick in the air. He knocked over a table and a couple of lamps during his landing. "OUCH! BUT I'M SO HAPPY I DON'T EVEN CARE! THIS IS MY JAM! I'M GONNA ROCK IT!"
We danced around the room together, chanting and singing. I felt much better being around Naruto, and I felt the weight I was holding in my chest about Gaara and Itachi and Kisame float away. I had something to look forward to now...the chance to become a Chuunin.
The next three days, Naruto and I were relentless with our training. With Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi doing their own things respectively, Naruto and I did our own thing, having mini battles and whoever won would treat the other to the next meal. We were both pretty sure Sasuke was going to accept the opportunity, but we had no clue about Sakura.
Finally the day of the exam came.
Naruto and I had agreed to go together so bright and early, we met in front of my house, high-fived, and skipped to the exam side-by-side. When we were halfway there, Naruto realized he forgot his ticket so he had to run all the way to his house while I waited impatiently.
When we finally got there, we were a little late. We entered the building and climbed the stairs in a rush, and immediately saw Sasuke, waiting in the corner alone. We ambled over to him, studying some of the other ninja in the room. Older guys, for sure. More experienced too, probably.
"I thought I was going to have to enter alone," Sasuke mumbled as we walked up.
"Mr. Memory here forgot his ticket," I said, tapping Naruto on the head. "So I had to wait so we could walk together."
"Aren't you two just the best of friends?" Sasuke snapped, and Naruto and I looked at each other, shrugging, like what's up with him?
"I wonder if Sakura will come," Naruto wondered out loud. "She's not here yet...and she's not one to be late."
While we waited, I spotted a familiar team of three walking by: Shino, Kiba, and Hinata.
"Hey, guys," I called to them. "How are ya?"
Kiba pushed down his hood and grinned, while Akamaru barked happily at me. Hinata blushed looking at Naruto, and then stared at her feet, twiddling her fingers. Naruto and I high-fived Kiba and Shino as they walked by us, calling each other, "Bro!"
Sasuke stared in annoyance.
"Let's go," Shino said, glancing at Sasuke, "we need to register. Good luck, guys."
Hinata quickly started walking away with them, but stole a shy, backwards glance at Naruto. She had it bad for the guy.
"Aren't you guys just friends with everyone!" Sasuke exclaimed, and Naruto and I exchanged another look.
"Sasuke...do you want, like, friends?" Naruto asked him curiously. "We could introduce you to ours."
"Don't worry, Sasuke! I can help you!" I started singing the hit Wicked song Popular: "With an assist from me, to be who you'll be, instead of dreary who you were, well, are, there's nothing that can stop you, from becoming popular! LAR! LA-LA-LA-LA, you'll be popular! Just not quite as popular AS MEEEEEEE!!!!!!"
"Please stop," Sasuke said, rubbing his temples, looking around in a paranoid way to see if people were staring. "I don't want to be popular. I just don't understand why you guys have to be friends with everyone. They are our enemies now and it's not helpful for us to like them when we might have to defeat them."
"Dude...by the way, Hinata is totally crushin'," I told Naruto, ignoring Sasuke. "On yourself, man."
"No way!" Naruto barked back, then changed the subject. "Although, who could blame her or anyone else for that matter? Hey, it's them!"
He pointed at another familiar group of Genin from our village. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji walked up to our group.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Ino said, bouncing right up to him. "I miss you. Haven't seen you in so long."
"Guess you are kind of popular," I observed, looking at Sasuke. He looked up the ceiling for a long time, sighing.
"Y'all got any food?" Chouji asked us.
I shook my head while Shikamaru silently mouthed behind their backs, 'HELP! I'M SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS!'
Naruto said, "Wow, so you guys, too! You sure you're ready?"
"Uh, yeah," Ino said, flipping her ponytail. "You guys think you're ready?" She glanced at me. "Especially you, duckling. You just waltzed back into town not so long ago, and look at you, joining Sasuke-kun's team and just getting whatever you want." I stared blankly at her. "Is Sakura showing up anytime soon?"
As soon as she said that, Sakura appeared at our side. "Hi," she said lightly. Her hair was down, she had no weapons on her, and she was wearing sandals.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed but then noticed her clothes as well. "Are you...not entering?"
Sakura looked at Ino and her team. "Could you give us a minute?" she asked with a little bit of an attitude towards Ino.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys," she said, dragging Chouji and Shikamaru away by their shirts. Once again, Shikamaru mouthed HELP to us. I waved sympathetically.
"No," Sakura said shaking her head. "I'm not entering."
"Why not?" Sasuke asked her.
She looked at Sasuke, blushing a little. "Oh, Sasuke, I know you must want me to come...and part of me wants to too, you know, to help protect you and all...but, the truth is, I don't feel ready. But I wanted to come wish you all luck because I knew you'd all go for it. So good luck...even you Naruto, and you, Ai."
Naruto beamed proudly, and I said, "Oh, THANKS!" but then I took it a little more seriously, clearing my throat. "Seriously, Sakura, thanks for coming by to tell us."
She gave a little bow to us, hugged Sasuke to his immense surprise, blew a kiss at him, and then ran back downstairs.
Naruto pouted. "I didn't get a hug..."
"Me either," I said, patting him on the back.
Then a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, giving me a hug.
"TASURA AI! CAN IT BE YOU!" came a loud voice from behind me. I turned around to see who the arms and voice belonged to. Of course!
Behind us stood three ninja from my year at the Academy: Rock Lee (the one who hugged me), Tenten, and Hyuuga Neji. Around the time I left town, they were put on a team together, and I remember thinking how Lee and Neji were going to be weird-as-hell teammates as they were polar opposites. Rock Lee had sort of a schoolboy crush on me during the Academy, and Tenten had been a friend. Neji was one of those super intense, silent types, and I always suspected he didn't like me because I was top of our class.
"Ai!" Tenten said, and rushed forward to hug me also. A jerk of Neji's head stopped her. "It's...well, it's nice to see you."
"I'm surprised you entered," Neji told me. "Gai-sensei waited an entire year before entering us. And here you are, a fresh Genin, taking the Chuunin exam."
"Don't underestimate Ai or us!" Naruto shouted, hopping to my defense.
I told the group, "It's true I just became a Genin, but I trained day and night when I was away from town. Plus my team rocks. We're gonna merk."
"Merk?" Rock Lee demanded.
"Beat excessively until death!" Naruto chimed, defining the word. It had become our favorite phrase during training.
Neji narrowed his eyes. "Let's cut to the chase. We've been waiting to see you, Ai."
"Why is that?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Because you're a MAJOR THREAT!" Rock Lee yelled. "NOT TO MENTION A MAJOR HEARTTHROB! Top of our class, the most beautiful girl to ever exist, and then you disappear...how mysterious. Who knows what you're capable of now? Last year, Neji was totally pissed when you didn't join a team because he wanted you on ours—"
Neji elbowed him sharply in the side, and Rock Lee jumped two feet in the air. "SWEET JESUS, NEJI! IT'S TRUE!"
Sasuke looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time, like I was a major asset to have on this team.
"She's not the only one to fear," Sasuke said softly.
He can't stand me stealing the spotlight for ONE SECOND, huh?
"He can't stand you stealing the spotlight, huh?" Naruto whispered to me, and I laughed out loud.
Sasuke glared at us, but Neji said, "I agree. The Uchiha clan...I have been wanting to fight you for a while, Sasuke."
"As have I," Rock Lee said quickly. "It's been a lifelong dream, right, Neji?"
Neji pursed his lips. "Not really."
"Well, yeah, it kind of is."
"You can't just say that though, it sounds weird."
"I'll fight both of you guys," Sasuke interrupted, "in the exam."
"Good job, Sasuke," I told him, patting his head. "It's not worth getting into it before registration even starts."
Naruto jumped into the air, kicking out a leg. "HEY! ANYBODY WANNA FIGHT ME?" he said, looking tough.
"Uh, no," Neji said.
"I'm good," Rock Lee said, looking out the window.
Tenten looked apprehensive. "Is that, um, your teammate?" she asked me, eyeing Naruto with concern.
"We gotta go! Adventure awaits! Until next time, my graceful and beautiful Ai...I'll be waiting in excitement," Rock Lee said and literally skipped away while Tenten and Neji fell into step behind him.
"Looks like someone has a crush on you," Naruto told me, laughing.
"Don't underestimate them," I warned. "Lee can't even perform ninjutsu or genjutsu. He's trained from the bottom up to become an extremely strong taijutsu the fighter, the best I've ever seen. Neji can use an eye bloodline called Byakugan and he's literally never lost a fight."
Sasuke nodded. "I look forward to fighting them."
"So, guys, registration ends in, like, 10 minutes," I told them, glancing at the clock. "We should get going now."
Naruto was jumping around. "YEAH! BAD GUYS! ENEMIES! FRENEMIES... Things are starting to really heat up, yeah, YEAH, this is gonna be AWESOME, lots of fighting ahead, this is what I've been WAITING for MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE!" He was literally bouncing off the walls, shouting: "PARKOUR!"
"Someone stop him," I said, smacking my forehead.
"Hey, idiot, let's go," Sasuke called to him.
Naruto stopped, looked at us, and grinned widely. "Let's go kick some boo-tay."
Naruto and I high-fived to that.
We went up one more set of stairs and walked down a long hallway that was empty (probably because most people had checked in by then) until we saw no other than Hatake Kakashi standing at the end of it.
"Sensei!" I cried happily. "Come to wish us good luck?"
"I've come to register you," Kakashi said calmly. "You see...only teams of three can enter. It's the rules. So I let you all decide individually. And...three of you showed up. So I guess it's meant to be although I think fate is a construct the human imag—"
"What if all four of us came? Or just two?" Naruto interrupted.
"Well, two of you couldn't have entered...so we would've waited until next year. If all four of you showed up, I would've chosen one person to sit out."
"WHO?" Naruto shouted loudly.
Kakashi shook his head. "Go ahead, you guys. It's time for the first part of the exam."
A shiver ran down my spine. Here we go.
Kakashi put a hand on both Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders. "Good luck, you guys."
"Bring it in, dude," I said, spreading my arms wide, and to my surprise, Kakashi actually obliged, giving me a one-second hug and a single pat on the back.
"Keep believing in yourselves," Kakashi said as we opened the large, white double doors and stepped inside a very large, crowded room. Before the doors closed we heard him say, "Don't let me down."