bubblegum princess

chapter sixty four

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒
welcome to the final show;
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED !
⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

𝞋𝞎

Seiren couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Boruto. His usual lively demeanor had dimmed, and she couldn't help but notice the way his grin seemed forced. His furrowed brows and distant gaze told her that something was troubling him, but he wouldn't say what. She hated seeing him like this—detached and distracted, especially when they needed his sharp focus.

Her inner turmoil boiled over when that chewing gum goat, Yurui, swaggered up to their group, his smug expression a warning of the taunts to come.

"You sure can talk big," Yurui sneered, his tone dripping with mockery as he butted into their conversation.

Seiren's fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms, but Yurui wasn't done. "You were helpless without those three," he added, his smirk widening as his words hit their mark.

Boruto's jaw tightened, his temper flaring as he snapped, "What did you say?!" He took a step forward, ready to confront Yurui, but Seiren's arm shot out, blocking his path.

"Seiren—" Boruto began, his voice edged with frustration, but the look on her face stopped him cold.

Her lips curved into a chilling smile, and her usually warm emerald eyes seemed to darken. She closed her eyes briefly, her voice sweet but laced with venom. "Ara~ You really shouldn't butt into conversations that don't concern you," she said softly, her tone sending a shiver down Yurui's spine.

When she opened her eyes again, they were sharp and cold. She took a deliberate step forward, causing Yurui and his team to flinch. "It's ironic, really," she continued, her voice dropping to a biting sneer. "You did all the work while your teammates stood by and watched. What does that make you? Their lapdog?"

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. Sarada quickly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, while Metal froze in shock. Iwabe's lips twitched into an amused smirk, though Denki tugged at his sleeve, nervously trying to de-escalate the situation.

Boruto, meanwhile, was beside himself. He grabbed Seiren's hand, his grip firm but careful, and stammered, "T-That's enough, Seiren." His voice betrayed his unease, but he couldn't deny a small part of him was impressed.

But she wasn't finished. Her glare pierced through Yurui as she spat, "Before you start running your mouth, maybe do yourself a favor and take a good look in the mirror." With that, she huffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder, turning on her heel. "Honestly," she muttered under her breath, her irritation clear as she stormed off.

Yurui stood there, stunned and slack-jawed, unable to form a response. Boruto, seizing the moment, stuck his tongue out at him before jogging after Seiren.

He reached her side and gently grabbed her hand, his touch grounding her. Behind them, their friends followed, a mix of amusement and awe lingering in the air "Who would have thought you could be this mean?" Boruto nudged her gently and Seiren suppressed a laugh as she only smiled at him "Well, I am my father's daughter. I catch some of his traits."

𝞋𝞎

Seiren stood silently behind their line as TenTen began to explain the rules for the second round of the Chunin Exams. Her chest tightened with anticipation, her heartbeat almost deafening in her ears as she scanned the opposing teams. Amidst the crowd, her gaze met Inojin's. He gave her a short wave, his usual calm confidence evident, before turning his attention back to TenTen's instructions.