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

The Scroll's Secret: No Peeking

We all went our separate ways after the last skirmish. Team 7 needed to rest—and strategize. After a short hike through the dense underbrush, we found a quiet spot near a flowing river. It was shaded by tall trees and surrounded by thick grass. A good place to camp, maybe even catch some food if we were lucky.

Naruto and Sasuke volunteered to fish, leaving Sakura and me to set up a fire.

As we gathered sticks and kindling, Sakura glanced at me with a knowing smirk. "So... what's going on between you and that Hyuga boy?"

I looked over at her nonchalantly, shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She gave an exaggerated sigh, an irk mark twitching on her forehead. "Ryuko..."

Smirking, I formed the necessary hand seals and exhaled. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. The flames roared to life, setting the wood ablaze and warming the clearing around us.

"The fire's ready!" I called out to the boys. "Did you catch anything?"

Naruto came back triumphantly holding several fish, Sasuke trailing behind with a calmer but satisfied look. We cleaned and skewered the fish, then set them over the fire. The smell of cooking filled the air as we all sat in silence, staring into the flames.

"It's already been four days since the second exam started," Sasuke finally said, watching the firelight flicker across his face.

"One day left," I added, the weight of it sinking into my chest.

"We still need another scroll, and time's running out," Sakura murmured.

"I wonder how many teams already made it," she continued, sounding unsure. Sasuke pulled out a scroll from his pouch and handed it to me without a word. I examined it—an Earth Scroll, not the Heaven Scroll we started with.

"Great," I said quietly. "Still only halfway there."

I placed the scroll securely in my pouch and handed Naruto his fish.

"There might not be any Heaven Scrolls left," Sakura muttered, her tone heavy.

"Well, that's a cheerful thought," Sasuke said dryly.

"She's not wrong," I sighed. "We've lost a lot of time. Between Orochimaru and the Sound ninja... we've barely been able to breathe."

"Maybe we rested too long," Sasuke added. "But we're out of excuses. If we want to pass, the next enemy we see might be our only chance."

I nodded. "Then we need to be ready. No holding back."

Sasuke stood, brushing off his pants. "I'll go get more water."

"I'll come with you," I said, following him through the trees, our footsteps quiet in the undergrowth.

⸻

We weren't far from the river when something felt off. A strange silence settled around us. As we neared the camp again, we saw a figure crouching beside Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke and I immediately drew our weapons and ran forward, chakra flaring. But the moment we got close, we stopped in our tracks.

Kabuto?

He raised his hands calmly. "Relax. I'm not your enemy."

I didn't lower my guard, even as Naruto waved enthusiastically. "Hey, Ryuko! Sasuke! It's okay—he stopped us from doing something stupid!"

I looked at Kabuto, then at the two of them. "What kind of stupid?"

Kabuto sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Apparently, your teammates thought it would be a good idea to open your scroll."