bubblegum princess

chapter fifty two

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the end of the beginning:
I THINK I'VE SEEN
THIS FILM BEFORE !
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Seiren's frown deepened as her gaze lingered on the bell dangling from Kaizen's fingertips. The soft chime it emitted sent an unsettling shiver through her, but what truly made her uneasy was the amused glint in Kaizen's red eyes, which were firmly set on her.

When Kakashi announced the rules—that only one student would pass by retrieving the bell from Kaizen—her heart sank. The thought of competing against her friends in such a high-stakes test was daunting. The group began to disperse, each heading their own way into the forest.

Boruto passed by her, his usual carefree grin lighting up his face as he gave her a playful wink. "See you out there, Sei," he said before vanishing into the trees with Shikadai and the others.

Seiren hesitated for a moment before heading off on her own. Her legs carried her away from Sarada and the others as the dense forest swallowed her in its shadows. She had no fond memories of places like this—too many times getting lost, or being relentlessly bitten by bugs, made forests more a source of irritation than comfort.

Crouching down, she pressed her palm lightly against the forest floor. She closed her eyes, letting her senses expand. The chakras of her classmates flared to life in her mind's eye like tiny beacons scattered throughout the terrain.

"My, my... Keishi must be an excellent mentor, hmm?"

The sudden voice sent her heart racing. Seiren's head snapped upward, her eyes locking onto Kaizen perched casually on a tree branch above her. His tone was playful, but his piercing gaze made her skin crawl.

Her lips curved into a wry smile. "Lord Senju," she greeted mockingly, injecting just enough sarcasm to mask her nerves yet she was happy to see him.

Kaizen's nose scrunched in mild annoyance at the title, his expression shifting to one of slight exasperation. "Please, don't call me that, Sei," he replied, his voice dropping to a more serious note. He leapt down gracefully from the branch, landing a few feet in front of her.

Tilting his head, his lips curved into a challenging smile. "Let's see what you've got."

Without hesitation, Seiren sprang into action, her kunai gleaming in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. Kaizen's brows briefly lifted in surprise at her speed, but he quickly sidestepped, the sharp edge of her kunai slicing through the air where he'd just stood.

'She's getting faster,' Kaizen thought, his expression softening for a moment. 'That's good.'

But his moment of admiration was fleeting. As Seiren lunged again, he effortlessly deflected her strike with his own kunai, the clash of metal ringing sharply in the stillness of the forest.

The sharp clang of metal echoed through the forest, jolting Boruto to a halt. His brows furrowed, and he raised a hand to signal Shikadai to stop as well. "You hear that?" Boruto whispered, his voice low but laced with urgency.

Shikadai nodded, his sharp eyes darting around the dense foliage. "Yeah... sounds like a fight," he muttered. Before they could move, another sound reached their ears—a muffled grunt followed by the distinct thud of someone hitting the ground.

Boruto's heart skipped a beat as he instinctively dropped low, pulling Shikadai with him into the cover of a bush. Carefully parting the leaves, they peered out. The sight that greeted them sent a pang of worry straight to Boruto's chest.