ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ
After speaking to the nurses, Kakashi decided to withdraw Y/n from the dismal hospital room and force her to attend the last battle. For a bit, he left the girl lonesome- to somewhat decompress the recent and complicated events. And the sensei went to observe the remaining fights, only to come back carrying Sakura to the clinic as well. Then bring her back to the stadium. Moreover, he attempted to bring his other student out, too.
As they trudged through the hospital's halls, Kakashi-sensei would notice Y/n's morose walk and down-casted eyes. He desired to support her, but he hasn't grasped how to yet. All the teacher knows about Y/n's past is where she was from and what he was told by...
Progressing in the halls, a crowd of medical-nin carried an unconscious dirtied body on a stretcher. They speed-walked through as though it was quite a dire condition. Behind him, Kakashi overheard his student gasp, "Lee...!" Then the teacher regarded his life-long rival dutifully accompanying the group of doctors and nurses. The vacant expression on Guy's face made Kakashi inwardly cringe in contrition.
Y/n sped ahead of her sensei, swiftly landing next to Lee's body. She glanced between the medical-nin and the other sensei, hopelessly searching for an explanation. But none was made. Instead, the nurses shooed her away with a wave of their gloved hands before speeding to one of the open rooms. Guy-sensei stayed behind. He gently patted her shoulder with a sigh. Y/n quickly remarked, "...Can you at least tell Lee that I'll see him soon?" At the sensei's composed nod, she solemnly continued her way to the arena.
It was amidst a fight that Y/n and Kakashi-sensei arrived. The girl sluggishly hauled herself to the outer fencing to discern the two competitors. Kakashi not too far behind.
A loud crash was accompanied by a piercing burst of soundwaves, as Choji used his family's ninjutsu to avoid one of Orochimaru's lackey's attacks. Using his now bloated body, Choji attempted to smash the straw-coat man. But the other's defense was strong. The soundwave blasted Choji back into the concrete wall of the arena, effectively cracking the layer and knocking the boy unconscious. Y/n could only sigh at the display.
Hayate-sensei made his way to the front of the arena, announcing, "With this, the preliminaries for the thirds exam is completed. Everyone who advanced come down for the Hokage's speech." One of the first things Y/n noticed was how empty it seemed. Half of the initial groups of people were gone due to injuries or the like. Out of the ten contestants that made it, besides herself and Sasuke, were the man in the straw coat, Naruto, Temari, Kankurō, Gaara, Shikamaru, Shino, and the Hyuga boy on Lee's team.
Y/n made certain to pause until everyone else was down first, as not to make a scene. Almost immediately as she took her first step on the arena, however, she overheard a melodramatic gasp from Sakura. "Y/n...!" She (not so quietly) murmured. The rest of the contestants turned around and examined the tired girl. Already exhausted from her fractious emotions, she merely hung her head and stalked behind the assembly.
Yet it seems Y/n couldn't catch a break; not even a second after Sakura uttered her name, Naruto was in front of her. He jumped around Y/n in a circle as if performing a ritual, "Y/n! Y/n! Y/n!" Naruto shouted. The boy stopped in front of her downward gaze and crookedly brought his face to meet hers. Upon seeing the girl's tear-stained appearance, he took her cheeks into his hands and squished her face. "Hey! Hey! What's wrong?! Who hurt you!? That kid will pay for making you upset!" He brought his hands away and punched the air, imitating a fight. "I'll give him a little of this-" Naruto kicked the air. "-And this!" Kakashi smacked the wild boy in the head, and immediately, Naruto finished.
The Hokage cleared his throat, patiently waiting for the group's attention before starting his speech. "To everyone who has advanced to the Final Round of the third test of the Chunin Exams- there's one person who's missing, but, congratulations. Well, I will begin the explanation of the Final Round." Y/n shuffled impatiently in her place. The only obligation she desires to be arranged right now was curling up in her bed and eating cookies. "The Final Round is where each of you will show off your battle skills in front of everyone. I want you to satisfactorily demonstrate and show off your ability as representative battle forces of your respective lands. Accordingly, the Final Round will commence one month from now."
Y/n cringed- she would preferably get this whole thing over with sooner rather than later. Naruto seemed to think the same thing, as he shamelessly called out, "We're not going to do it here, right now?"
The Hokage took the boy's inquiry, however, seemingly used to his simple-minded questions. "This is so that there's a suitable period of preparation. That is to say, along with the announcement of the conclusion of the preliminary match to each country's Daimyo and Shinobi leaders, readying the summons for the Final Round requires preparation time, not to mention the time it takes for examinees to prepare."
'I get it,' Y/n cogitated. Upon discerning some confused faces of the other champions, she monotonously explained. "They need enough time to report the news to the victor's countries and set up the event for passers who want to see. But this can also be a period where the contestants train for their upcoming fight."
"Correct," The Hokage answered, taking a smoke from his pipe. "However, the Final Round is a somewhat different case. Some of you might have already revealed everything in front of your rivals. In the spirit of fairness and equality, you will have a month to train yourself to further your skills."
Y/n sighed, wringing her hands together in an effort to soothe her nerves. As she observed the group of remaining contestants, she felt her uneasiness soar through the roof. Naruto and Shikamaru were one thing, but the sand siblings, Aburame, the noise ninja, and Neji, were utterly different subjects of difficulty. Maybe it was because she was friends with the other two that she gained more comfortable to challenge them. Yet, she could hardly win the last challenges, so how will she defeat such formidable opponents that most definitely earned their position? The girl could only hope that either her sensei or perhaps even Moltres or Articuno would assist her new required training.
"Now that that's done, I'd like to let you take your leave. But first, for the Final Round, there is one more important matter to take care of. Now, I want you all to calmly take one slip of paper from the box Anko is holding." The Hokage gave a sly grin as if this was the most exciting part of the day. Y/n held her breath. She knew precisely what was happening, 'There deciding who's fighting who.'
Anko held up a box full of slips of paper, "I'm going to go around in order. Take only one." She started at the front of the line. Slowly she went around to each participant and let them stick their hand in the box to receive their paper. After everyone in the front got their slip, she eyed at Y/n's tired physic, "Hey, kid, come up here and get yours!" Y/n sluggishly squeezed between Naruto and Shikamaru, securing the last article in the crate. On the paper was the number '7'.
"Good, everyone has taken a number," Ibiki said, scrawling some words down on his writing board. "Then, from left to right, tell me the number on your slip of paper."
Dosu spoke first, "I'm eight."
Then Naruto, "I'm one."
"I'm seven..."
Shikamaru, "Ten."
Temari from the sand, "Nine."
Kankurō from the sand, "I'm five."
Gaara (the panda), "Three..."
Neji, "Two."
And lastly, The quiet Aburame boy, "Six."
"In other words, Sasuke has number four." The Hokage added. "Very well. I will tell you about how the Final Round tournament will work."
Y/n hung her head- just as she expected, the lots were for the last tournament. She could feel her heart race at the anticipation, but her appearance revealed no emotion. The crowd of Genin gasped around her, however. Shikamaru hummed in thought, "Is that what these drawing lots were for?"
"Ibiki, bring forth the pairings." The Hokage ordered. At the command, the protector held out his board for everyone to inspect. The pairs went as mentioned: Naruto and Neji, Gaara and Sasuke, Kankurō and The Aburame boy, Y/n and Dosu, and finally, Temari and Shikamaru.
Y/n ascertained herself more exhausted after discovering the revelation than she was before knowing. She fought Dosu before, almost successfully defeating him but majorly injuring herself in the process. She acknowledges how to plan for their match, but she's not looking forward to it.
Much to Y/n's surprise, Shikamaru raised his hand in inquisition. "May I ask a question?" He spoke. "Does this mean that there will only be one winner of the tournament? That only one of us will be able to become a Chunin?" Y/n was astonished by his provocative question. In fact, she wonders how she didn't think about that earlier.
The Hokage's answer was simple, "No, on the contrary. The judges of the Final Round, of which I am one, will be made up of the Kazekage, the Daimyo from various countries who will assign you on your missions, and the Shinobi Leaders. Through this tournament, these judges will be able to make a thorough evaluation and come to a decision as to whether each one of you possesses the qualities incumbent of a Chunin. Even if someone loses the first round, they can still become a Chunin."
Temari addressed her inquisition among the withdrawn group, "So there's a chance that all of us will become Chunin?"
"Correct, but conversely, there's also a chance that none of you will. To 'advance' in the tournament means maximizing chances to appeal yourselves to the judges."
'So all I have to do is make an offensive so intelligent and efficacious that judges will notice my potential? Well, that makes things a little less stress-inducing.' Y/n felt her head become light from how weak she currently was. She wished the questionnaire was over so she could leave and pass out on her couch.
"I thank you all for your patience," The Hokage stated as if he knew Y/n was about to pass out from where she stood. "We will adjourn until next month. See you then."
"Finally..." Y/n quietly murmured to her shoes. All the tension departed from her shoulders, and she sighed in relief. At the moment, she felt empty, as if emotions and sentiments were nonexistent. No tears left to cry and no interest to address.
Y/n started her route to the exit, her eyes never leaving the floor. However, she heard a voice halt her in her tracks. "Y/n, what a drag," Shikamaru stalked behind the girl with Choji not far. "Why are you so quick to leave? Are you trying to avoid us?"
"Maybe it has something to do with her fight...?" Choji cautiously asked. He silently studied Y/n's face, searching for a negative emotion to spare. But no flicker of reaction crossed her eyes. The emptiness almost startled Choji- from the first day he met Y/n, the most discernable attribute he noticed was the vibrant life she bore around her. Yet now, she looked... hollow, like a walking shell.
The girl was slow to refute, "It's nothing." She muttered, continuing her stroll out of the arena. She barely took a step before she overheard a loud disgruntled sigh and hushed grumbling.
"Wait, Y/n," Shikamaru sped walk to her side. "I'll walk you home, I guess." He begrudgingly stated, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Y/n nodded, half-heartedly waving goodbye to Choji behind her. They didn't make it far until Naruto jumped in front of them. He not-so-gently placed his hands on Y/n's shoulder, shoving his face close to hers.
"Y/n," He whispered. "Do you want Shikamaru to take you home? If your uncomfortable, I can-" Y/n contemplated his intense gaze. The way his eyes dilated and his grip tightened as if the girl would disappear from his grasp.
Y/n brushed off his firm grip, avoiding his dejected expression. "It's okay. But am I going to see you at the hospital tomorrow? To check on everyone?"
"Of course! Anything you want!" Naruto's vigor bounced back, effectively hiding his newly discovered double-sided personality. However, Y/n quickly noticed his apparent side-eyeing to Shikamaru's annoyed look.
Another disgruntled sigh left Shikamaru's lips. He walked ahead, Y/n following not far back. Naruto was left behind, staring at the girl's deadened silhouette. When he observed Y/n's fight, watching her breakdown crying, he felt something inside him churn, causing a burning desire to preserve and cherish her. Like all those years back when she was tenacious enough to defend him. But now it was different; He was finally strong enough to protect her. That soft kindness and loyalty, as well as her so so so beautiful semblance- Sometimes Naruto would mistake the girl for something from a dream. But this current change hurt him deeply, and he'll do anything to fix it.
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Even with no conversation, the house appeared fast around the corner. The small dwelling looked practically the same, except for the lit-up windows and loud discussions inside. For a minute, Y/n could feel her heart speed up, and a faint idea that Mamoru was home, safe, and not injured somewhere silently waiting for help was present. One look at Shikamaru's bored and lethargic expression, however, said otherwise.
Before the two tired Genin could even reach the front porch, the door slammed open, revealing the smiling face of Mrs. Nara. "There you two are! Come inside now- I just finished dinner!" She ushered us in, chuckling slightly at our disgruntled appearances.
Mr. Nara sat at the table, a glass of whatever in his hand and a burnt-out cigarette lay dying on the smoke tray next to him. Upon falling in our seats, he began laughing, but it seemed faded, displaying that he was somewhat tipsy from his drink. "You two look like you dug yourselves out of a grave." He started snickering at his own remark. "It only makes me wonder what they planned for the exams this year!"
"They threw us in a forest for several days at a time then forced us to fight each other." Shikamaru scowled, resting his head and elbows on the table. He was clearly annoyed by his parent's desire to apprehend the exams.
"Hah! Classic." Mr. Nara either didn't notice or didn't care about his son's feelings at the moment.
I didn't talk much, even though a nagging feeling in my stomach said I should. After all, they're in my house, and technically I'm the host, but the way they made themselves comfortable and at home said otherwise. Actually, in a way, It was kind of... comforting. Like a substitute for the family I'm currently lacking. Not much later, Mrs. Nara laid out a feast, and finally, I was at home.
...
After eating, I decided to help Mrs. Nara clean the dishes. It was only logical considering she went out of her way to make such a wonderful meal. Mr. Nara sat on the porch, probably taking a smoke, and Shikamaru was currently taking a quiet nap on the couch. At that moment, the house was quiet, Mrs. Nara seemed lost in thought as she scrubbed the dishes, and I just didn't want to talk. But, that serenity was short-lived.
"Y/n," Mrs. Nara addressed quietly, not wanting to draw attention from the others. "You seem off; is everything all right?" I didn't answer right away, just giving her an inquisitive look. She continued, almost in a whisper, "You're just so... quiet. You hardly said a word at dinner, and you look... I'm just worried for you, dear." She stopped herself before what she thought would be insulting her, but Y/n felt no animosity towards her- She felt nothing.
So that's why answering her with such straightforwardness was so simple, "The child I was forced to challenge at the exam was my long-lost brother from my original village." For some reason, the pain that was ever-present before was gone. Maybe it was the confusion of his being alive or Mamoru's knife, but Y/n couldn't bring herself to feel such emotions.
Mrs. Nara's surprise was evident by her somewhat heavy gasp. Her gaze flashed towards Y/n's direction, and just for a minute, she stared at the girl's sunken and tired eyes. "...I'm sorry."
This time, it was Y/n's turn to be slightly shocked. "There's no need for you to be sorry-"
"No," Mrs. Nara interrupted her. Her eyes shamefully fell to the sink full of soapy water, "... I knew some of your family was still alive." There it was- the emotions Y/n thought she used up, slowly inching back to her as she anticipated the words that would fall out of Mrs. Nara's mouth next. "Mamoru knew too. He told Shikaku and me that they were the reason he took you and left."
Y/n couldn't help the words from falling from her mouth, "What...?" Her hands began to shake, and her knees felt weak. She couldn't handle this, not after everything she's been through already.
Mrs. Nara acknowledged that as she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders to stabilize her. "I'm sorry... I'll tell you later. For now, you should go up and rest." Y/n agreed, slowly shaking her head and allowing Mrs. Nara to navigate her to the bedroom.
The rest of the night was a blur. All Y/n could remember was taking a shower, then going to bed, and almost immediately passing out. Even the distant voices of Moltres and Articuno didn't stir her. Nor the calming melody of a little boy's humming.
"How was that, Y/n? My mother used to sing that to me- it's like a traditional Senju lullaby!"
"...You better remember it!"
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The next morning came quick, and if Y/n was going to be honest, she hated every second of it. After everything that's happened to her, she only hoped it would end the following day. But all those horrid things- those concepts, are still present. And it all came crashing down as she walked to the kitchen and saw Mamaru's knife on the counter. A slight trace of Ame's dried blood was still evident on the handle.
'No,' Y/n cringed, turning back to her room. 'It's too early for this... Too early.' She went back, changed, and overall got ready for the day. She told Naruto that they would go to the hospital to check on their friends. Even though she doesn't feel like seeing him right now, she at least has to show her companions that she's alive. 'Because, after all, life keeps on moving even if everything around you is burning. In a moment's time I might be over this; it's only at this instant where living feels... pointless.'
As embarrassing as it is to admit, Y/n spent most of her daily preparing on the toilet, just sitting and staring off into space. It wasn't until she overheard rapping on the door that she begrudgingly got up and washed her hands.
At the door was Shikamaru. His hands were in his pockets as he pretended to examine the front garden on his right. "Ah, Y/n. Morning." He nodded as if he didn't hear the girl stomping up to the entrance. "We're walking to the hospital, right?" Y/n could only assume by we, he meant him, Choji, and her. It was most probable, considering the Akimichi household wasn't too far from her residence.
"Yes..." She simply responded. Much like yesterday's trek back to the house, it was quiet, except this time, sounds of lively chatter and stores opening filled the empty air in the two Genin's stroll. As they encountered the turnpike to Choji's home, Shikamaru lightly pushed her shoulder in the other direction, much to her wonderment and light amusement. "Are we getting Choji?" She calmly questioned.
Shikamaru gave his signature sigh, "Yes, but let's make a few rounds- I have something I need to tell you."
"I'm just going to put it plainly, since I know of all people, you hate to beat around the bush. Remember when I told you Mamoru described a lot about you before we met? When I said a lot, I mean A LOT. I know why he took you away from your old town and why some of your family is still alive today." He turned to look at her, patiently waiting for her acquiescence to proceed. At her subdued nod, he ardently continued, "It's hard to find where to start since... I was never there. But... Let me just say that your family isn't who you think they are. Mamoru found you the night of the fire and saved you because he was the one that started it- he needed a surefire (lol, get it) way to get you out of the village without anyone or your family stopping him."
"What?" Y/n couldn't comprehend anything he was saying anymore; all she could think about were the screams of the burning village people- hopelessly calling for help... "No... why would he!? I don't understand! What did my family do!?" Y/n's voice didn't sound angry or scared. It sounded confused. So confused...
"Clearly, they're doing something bad." Shikamaru began to scowl. "Why else would your brother attempt to kill you at the exams. Did you think I wouldn't notice? It was painfully obvious." He took one of her shoulders in a firm grip, forcing her to look at him. "Mamoru did it to protect you; he isn't one to just kill innocent people, and you know this-"
"Hey!-" At the worst timing it could happen, Choji came out to his front porch and noticed his friends circling the block in a deep conversation. "What're you two doing? Come on, let's go to the hospital!"
Y/n bit her lip, hoping that her face didn't display any of her feelings. She understood that she had to maintain composure, or else her friends would never leave her alone. Now, it would be most salutary to keep quiet if she doesn't want to stand out. But what Y/n doesn't realize is that her current behavior already struck some confusion.
The hospital was moderately barren when the three entered. The exception being Naruto, who was clearly harassing the receptionist to permit him to see Sasuke. "I'm sorry, Mr. Sasuke is not allowed visitors." The (very) tolerant worker explained with a strained smile on her face.
"What? Hey, Hey! What's up with that!?-"
"Naruto," Shikamaru grumbled from the doorway. "Shut up. It's too early for your nonsense."
"Y/n!" Naruto completely ignored him, however, and immediately rushed to hug the girl. As much as Y/n expected his clinginess, she didn't anticipate for him to be this touch-starved. He enveloped his arms around her torso and buried his face in her shoulder, playfully rocking her back and forth. Without breaking his position, he gazed up at her with a full-tooth smile. "Goooooood morning!~"
Y/n didn't even have time to react before Choji pushed him off with a somewhat disgusted look, "Come on, man! Give her some space!" He shared a glance with his friend, Shikamaru. Both seemingly had the same ensuing thought: Y/n was currently not herself, and it would be best to leave her alone.
Naruto looked like he was going to say something- actually, he seemed considerably frustrated. But a stern voice cut him off, "Hey, you guys, keep it down. This is a hospital." Kakashi sauntered through the hallway, a tired expression portrayed on his face.
Instantly Naruto's face brightened, "Huh? Kakashi sensei!" He merrily skipped up to his teacher. "Say! Say! I've got a favor to ask!-"
Kakashi interrupted him, "You don't need to say anything." He weakly sighed and brought a hand to his head. "Oh well, I thought it would come to this, so... I searched for someone to watch your training."
"Oh?" Y/n couldn't help but vocalize. She followed Naruto's path up to her sensei, carefully eyeing his weary physique. Not only did he look tired, Y/n conjectured, but his forehead looked slightly sweaty, and his hands had little cuts. If she didn't know any better, she would've assumed he just got out of a fight.
"Yes, I'm sorry, I would've loved to train you two, but... I'm a little busy." He faked a bashful expression as he explained.
Naruto wasn't having it; he accusingly pointed a finger and shouted, "Why!? I want you to, Kakashi sensei!"
"I told you, I have some matters to take care of. I don't have the time to trouble myself with you, Naruto. And, Y/n, I'm afraid to say that it might be better for you to train with team 10 for a while."
"Huh?" Shikamaru and Choji joined. But Kakashi ignored them.
"Anyway-"
"Oh, Aha! You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you!" Naruto shouted, angrily stomping on the floor. Y/n almost felt herself chuckle; it was childish and overall an amusing display.
Kakashi played it off smoothly, "Well, don't say that." He replied. "I found a sensei who's more reliable than I am!"
"Well, who is it?" Naruto impatiently frowned.
"It's me!" Y/n never heard this man before, nor has she seen him. As he eerily appeared behind them, she almost jumped at the sudden entrance. He had a blue bandana covering his brown hair and a round pair of sunglasses shielding his eyes.
"You!" Naruto screeched. He protectively jumped in front of Y/n with his hands outstretched. "The closet perve!" Y/n, along with everyone else, was quite confused. But the man seemed overall annoyed, mumbling under his breath while pushing up his glasses. "Why's this guy my training teacher!?" Naruto continued. "In the first place, he's weaker than me!" Y/n almost snickered at the dense statement.
"What did you say?" Kakashi groaned, obviously annoyed with his student already.
"But you see! But you see!" The boy shouted, rudely sticking his finger at the new sensei's face. "A long time ago, with my Harem Jutsu, this guy." Naruto began shouting random nonsense. Apparently, the random man understood because immediately his face turned bright red as he stuttered against it. Quickly the new teacher jumped and grabbed Naruto in a chock-hold, effectively muting him.
"Harem Jutsu?" Kakashi continued to question.
"U-Uh... It's nothing!" The new guy said. But Y/n, Shikamaru, and Choji knew otherwise. Shikamaru groaned as his friend laughed next to him, eating a bag of chips.
"Wow," Kakashi faked amusement. "I didn't know you were acquainted."
The new guy released the hold, patting the head of the now pissed-off Naruto, "Well, they're unsavory ties, but-"
"But why this guy?" Naruto cut him off. "I definitely don't him to-"
"Same here!" The new guy interrupted, this time, childishly pointing a finger at Naruto. "If it weren't for Kakashi's favor, who'd teach you for the fun of it?"
"Then don't."
"You two are like peas in a pod, and you don't even realize it," Y/n grumbled, not expecting anyone to hear her.
"Yeah," Kakashi agreed.
Naruto slowly turned around to meet her gaze, a look of pure embarrassment and annoyance on his face, "Please don't compare me to this guy."
"Well, Naruto," It was clear Kakashi sensei just wanted to end this conversation. "Of the four kids in Squad Seven that I taught, your the worst at the basic skills. Get taught with care this time around." He patted the boy's head.
"HOW AM I INFERIOR COMPARED TO SAKURA AND SASUKE!?" Naruto was clearly very annoyed at the situation. He practically yelled at his sensei. But Kakashi just blinked, and everyone went dead silent- they knew the answer to that.
But Kakashi continued to gently urge the boy, "Naruto, it's a fact that you don't have the fundamentals down. No matter what you do, the basics skills are important. If you really want to become strong, just be quiet and listen to what I say." He pushed the boy out the door, turning to the new teacher. "Now then, Ebisu sensei, I'm leaving him with you."
"Yes, Yes." Ebisu sensei nodded, turning out the door with Naruto begrudgingly following.
"As for you three," Kakashi aimed his discussion towards Shikamaru, Choji, and Y/n. "Asuma sensei wanted to take you four out to the cafe on the east side of the village. He asked me to repeat it."
Shikamaru groaned, "You want me and Choji to get Ino so you can talk to Y/n, right?" He predicted, and from the somewhat surprised look on the sensei's face, he hit the nail right on the head. "Ugh, fine. What a drag."
Before heading off, Choji turned around and waved with his chip-dust-covered hand, "See you at the cafe, Y/n!"
After the two finally left, Kakashi sensei instantly remarked, "It's nice that you are so easy to work with. I don't have to waste ten minutes trying to explain why I'm temporarily handing you off to another team." He joked, expecting a laugh or a remark from the girl, but she merely nodded her head. "...I didn't want to just hand you off to any Jonin- I know you're much more advanced than Naruto. I trust that Asuma would be the best to teach you." Seeing the girl's adherence to refrain from talking, he playfully added, "And he seemed quite excited to train you for a bit!"
Y/n eye's lingered onto his hands. The cuts were minute but still bled a considerable bit. "Sensei, are you okay? Did you get into a fight?" She questioned quietly. Kakashi answered with a simple, "Hm?" obviously pretending not to understand. Y/n grabbed his wrist and held up the bloody fingers, "This." Her sensei merely shakes his head as if it was nothing. The girl simply frowned and used a piece of her shirt to wipe the blood away.
But a strange feeling overwhelmed her, a sense of familiarity. Almost as if she replayed this scene before, but she couldn't recall when; A sensation of deja-vu. She couldn't help the sentence from falling out, "Here, let me clean up your wounds a bit before they get infected." It was a simple proclamation, but the words seemed much more significant than she considered.
Kakashi grabbed her other hand, "Hey." He announced. Y/n considered the look that flashed across his face: an unexplained sadness that the girl has never seen before. "...You should go meet up with team 10. I'm sure they're eager to train with you." He attempted to smile, but it came off as more of a troubled expression than anything.
"Right, I'm sorry, sensei." Y/n backed off. "I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself."
As she left, Y/n could've sworn she heard her sensei mumble under his breath, "So it was real..."
Mamoru... Who are you?
ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ
(A.N.
This might just be the longest chapter I've ever made 0-0
5400 words to put in perspective.
But if I'm going to be honest, I just wanted to blast through a bunch of episodes so I could finally get through this portion of the Naruto series. After all, I have like, two more books following this one, so I might as well start hurrying to finish this one up.
Anywho.... Mamoru was the culprit who burnt down your village, appearantly.
Do you still like him?
Or do you have other feelings?
What do you think happened?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see in the next upcoming chapters! :3
See ya next time my little ninjas!)