𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [44] «------•}I|

After running an errand, Ruka happened to pass by the academy when she spotted Lee sitting on the balcony, lost in his thoughts with his head hung low. She had been trying to find him for some time, aware of the surgery her aunt had mentioned for his treatment—a surgery with a 50% chance of recovery or death. Lee was going through a difficult time, and Ruka wanted to be there for him. So, she used her vertical walking ability to scale the wall and jumped inside the steel railing, capturing his attention.

"Lady Ruka?" Lee asked, surprised to see her. A small smile appeared on his face. "Hey, how have you been?"

"I'm good," she replied, returning his smile. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing now, after everything?"

Lee forced a sad smile. "I'm hanging in there. It hasn't been easy, but I'm trying my best. What about you?"

Ruka hesitated for a moment, aware of the beast inside her that still slumbered. "I'm doing alright, but I know that you're not," she said, her voice filled with empathy.

Lee hung his head low in despair, clenching his fists as she told him"Everything will be fine, just believe in yourself like you always do."

"But..." Tears streamed down Lee's face as his shoulders shook with grief. "But it's not the same this time. Even if I believe in myself and try as hard as I can, it won't make the slightest difference."

"Lee..." Ruka found herself at a loss for words, a rare occurrence for her. She had never seen Lee lose hope like this before, and she struggled to find the right words to comfort him.

Nevertheless, she took a step towards him and embraced him in a hug. At first, he tensed up, but soon he relaxed and hugged her back, finding solace in her presence.

"Don't give up," she whispered as she pulled away from the hug, looking into his eyes. "You promised me that you would come back stronger, didn't you?"

Lee's eyes widened in shock, realizing that she remembered what he had told Sakura about his promises to Ruka. He closed his eyes and sniffed, regaining a sliver of determination. "Yeah, I promised."

---

The next day, Team 7 was walking along a muddy path, surrounded by trees. They were on their way to the Land of Tea for a B-rank escort mission that could potentially develop into an A-rank mission. With a shortage of Jōnin, Kakashi was occupied with other missions, so Ruka had taken on the role of leading her team.

Ruka glanced back at the tired blonde behind her, noticing his grumbling stomach. "Are you guys hungry?"

"Maybe a little," Sakura replied, and Naruto perked up. "Hey! Lunch break! And look!" He pointed excitedly ahead. "What a coincidence! There's a tea house right there!" He exclaimed and dashed off towards the shop.

"Wait—" Sakura tried to stop him, but he was already gone. "Unbelievable. Ruka, you're our leader now. Don't be too lenient with him!"

"Don't worry, it's just an escort mission," Ruka reassured Sakura, patting her on the head before heading after Naruto.

The four of them took seats at a wooden table, with Sakura and Ruka sitting across from Naruto and Sasuke. Another customer sat alone in a corner, some distance away.

"What will you be having?" the lady asked as she served them their cups of tea.

"Some sweet bean soup!" Naruto replied with excitement.

"I

'll have the dumplings, please," Sakura added, then turned to Sasuke. "And you, Sasuke?"

"Just rice."

The lady then turned her attention to Ruka, smiling warmly. "And what about you, sweetie? What would you like?"

Ruka smiled back but shook her head. "I'm good, thank you."

"I'll be back in a moment," Sakura said, looking at Ruka with confusion, as the lady walked away. "Ruka, are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Don't worry about me," Ruka whispered, avoiding her teammate's gaze.

"I just hope we get some action during this mission," Naruto chimed in, eliciting a glare from Sakura. "Don't you dare cause any trouble, Naruto! Ruka won't let you."

"I know, I won't," Naruto replied with a playful grin.

Meanwhile, a boy with spiky brown hair tied in a ponytail stopped beside their table, his back facing them. All eyes turned to him.

"Just sitting around in the shade, sucking down sweet bean soup. A shinobi's life is pretty cushy," the boy remarked.