What about us?

Chapter 23: Problematic test

TenTen held a seat for Hinata. She won't let a playboy take over Hinata anymore.

"Hinata! Over here!" She waved at her.

"TenTen-chan!" Hinata sat down next to her.

"Kusoo! And I overtook Naruto!" thought Kiba. After a while, Naruto came too. He still had to look at Hinata.

"Hinata…" He felt guilty. Is what he said true?

"I feel bad for Hinata. Girls don't like her very much now…" said Ino.

"That’s right…" Naruto overheard their conversation.

"So it’s true…" he thought and was sad. He no longer listened to what they were saying next.

"…but Hinata’s strong! She won’t let Mieko’s fangirls win!" said Sakura.

"That’s right!" said Ino.

"Ino, will you keep your promise to Hinata?"

"What promise?"

"That you will get closer to Sai!" teased Sakura.

"Ho, ho, ho, I said that? I don’t remember-!"

"Yeah, you said it."

"Sakura! It’s not that easy! Look at him!" Sai was sitting alone again. He was sitting by the window, drawing.

"It’s Sai, what’s the matter?"

"You don’t see how handsome he is?! I, I can’t compare…"

"I don’t because I have eyes only for Sasuke-kun! But Ino, you are beautiful, what are you talking about?"

"Just look…" She pointed at the girls sitting behind Sai. They were blushing while looking at him.

"I, I love him…" said one of them. She said it out loud and blushed from embarrassment.

"See?" said Ino and was sad.

"Are you kidding?! They don't even touch your ankles, Ino!! Wake up!!"

"I can’t, Sakura. I still have to think that I should give it up one day." Sakura slapped her.

"Hah, why did you do it?!"

"I don't know you, Ino. Old Ino wouldn't give up so easily. Besides, I'm sure Sai really likes you." Sakura smiled.

"Thanks Sakura. I needed that slap, but what do you mean by that Sai likes me? He’s not showing any hints!" Sakura kept smiling because what Sai drew was Ino. She smiled warmly and looked beautiful in the picture. Only this proves Sai's feelings, which he cannot express. Ino was still confused. She didn’t see the picture.

Naruto was still depressed, and Mieko was happy that his plan was working. After a while, Kakashi came to the class.

"H-hello class, I met an old women and-!"

"There's no point in arguing with you anymore, Kakashi-sensei… You are unteachable!" said annoyed Sakura.

"Oh, I see…" Kakashi coughed.

"So as I promised. Since I arrived late, you will work through the break. Here are the tests! Shino and Shikamaru, distribute the tests."

"Why is it always me? But at least he remembers my name…" thought Shino.

"What a drag and what a troublesome teacher. That test is problematic too." Shikamaru was annoyed as always. They distributed it.

"All right, you can start! Good luck and most of all to you, Naruto!" said Kakashi and smiled.

"Wow, he really doesn't want me to fail!" thought Naruto. They wrote the test 30 minutes plus 10 minutes over that break. Shikamaru made it in twenty minutes, which surprised Kakashi.

"Shikamaru, he will give us harder tests because of you!" thought Ino. She learned hard because of the test. She wanted to impress Sai.

"Shikamaru is awesome. The test is hard. Even Sasuke-kun doesn't know what to do… I’m worried about Naruto. I don’t think he can make it," thought Sakura. She does not know that Hinata tutors Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, good luck!" Hinata prayed that Naruto would pass the test. She was in three-quarters of the test and also didn't know what to do next.

"Think, Naruto, think! You have to give it your all! For Hinata who wasted so much time with you!" thought Naruto for himself. But he did pretty well. He did not give up and remembered most of Hinata's tutoring.

"Hmm… hmm… hmm…" Kakashi read Icha-Icha Tactics, which Jiraiya released yesterday. He was excited about it. He didn't realize it was over, and after a while it rang for another lesson.

"All right! It’s over! Shikamaru and Shino, you know what to do!" said Kakashi and left.

"What a troublesome teacher!" Shikamaru collected tests with Shino and took them to Kakashi's office.

"That… wasn’t that hard!" thought Naruto. That was the first time he felt that way. And it’s all thanks to Hinata.

"Hinata, thank you," he thought.