Sasuke's twin sister, But Neji's first love

A New Chapter Begins: The Chunin Exams

[Timeskip: Returning to Konoha]

Once we reached the village gates, Kakashi dismissed us without much fanfare. Sasuke and I walked in silence, heading toward our shared apartment. The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable, just... thoughtful. Eventually, I decided to break it.

"We still have a long way to go, even though we awakened the Sharingan."

"Hn. I know," Sasuke replied coolly. "That's why we keep training. We'll become as powerful as we can."

We continued walking in silence until we reached home. I unlocked the door, kicked off my shoes, and immediately threw myself onto the couch with a sigh.

"Man, it feels great to be home and sleep on a real bed. No offense to Tazuna and his family, I appreciate them letting us stay, but..."

"Yeah, it does feel good," Sasuke agreed, taking off his shoes and heading straight to the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal. "Want some?"

"Hm. Sure."

He made me a bowl too and brought it over, handing it to me. We crossed our legs and sat facing each other on the couch, talking about training, power, and what the future might hold.

Once we finished eating, we both turned in for the night.

⸻

[The Next Morning – Team 7 at the Bridge]

Yawn.

I leaned lazily against the bridge railing beside Sasuke when I heard footsteps pounding toward us. I glanced over.

Naruto.

"Good morning, Sakura! Good morning, Ryuko!" he greeted enthusiastically.

I gave him a small nod. He looked at Sasuke, and the two of them just stared at each other in awkward silence.

"Why are you two looking at each other like that? Like you kissed again or something?" I teased, raising a brow.

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms and looked away.

"Hn." Sasuke turned his head with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Sakura and I exchanged glances, then looked between them.

I shrugged and looked away, but time kept dragging on. I began tapping my foot impatiently.

"Why tell us a time if he's just gonna show up hours later?" I muttered, my eyebrow twitching.

"Tch." Sasuke was clearly irritated too.

Just then, Kakashi appeared, casual as ever. "Hey guys. Good morning. Sorry I'm late... I got lost on the path of life."

I looked up at him and mumbled, "Riiight..."

"GAAAHHH!" Naruto and Sakura yelled in unison.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission, sensei! And come on—no more of this beginner stuff, okay? I want a real mission to prove myself! I gotta break out and burn it up!" Naruto shouted, full of energy.

"Geez, calm down, Naruto," I said, unimpressed.

"Uh, right. I get it. That's great, Naruto. Now take it easy, would you?" Kakashi added with a tired smile.

Naruto suddenly turned to Sasuke and me, his expression intense.

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto," Kakashi said dryly, "so we can start the mission."

"Could you not be so annoying, Naruto? Just once?" Sakura snapped.

"You should take your own advice, Pinky," I muttered.