Memoirs of a Kunoichi • Sasuke Uchiha [ON HOLD]

Scroll Eleven • The Reunion

Chapter Eleven

Numb. My body felt numb as I lost myself within my thoughts — I was lingering outside Room 206, waiting for Team Seven to meet me here as I thought about my brothers. ‘Why were they here?’ The thought radiated with anger as I leaned against the wall, my arms firmly crossed over my chest as my narrowed gaze scanned my surroundings. I was still in disbelief, and a part of me wanted to believe that I had imagined seeing my brothers here in Konoha, but the dread that knotted my stomach told me otherwise. They were truly here and things were going to become much more complicated; they could reveal my true identity to the village officials and what my intentions had been in the beginning. My brothers could make me public enemy number one within a matter of seconds, and that scared the crap out of me. I rolled my bottom lip into my mouth as I lost myself within my concentration; there had to be a way I could avoid my older siblings for the duration of the Chuunin Exams. It was starting to dawn on me that my father may have sent them to keep an eye on me — did this mean that their missions had been postponed?

My brow furrowed with confusion as I raked through my brain in search of answers. My father wasn’t the type of man to put a halt to his precessions; it was his dream to bring down the five major hidden villages, yet my brothers were in Konohagakure instead of their respected villages. ‘Were they here to make sure I went through with my father’s plans? Would they openly attack me if I refuse to destroy Konoha?’ I kept my composure as all these thoughts flooded my mind, but my palms were quickly covered with a light sweat as my heart gradually accelerated within my ribcage. The thought of my brothers forcing me to fight made me nervous — I always bested them when it came to one on one spars, but I never had to focus on Kado, Sen, and Shiro at the same time. I was quite outnumbered, especially since my brothers also had mastered our clan’s Kekkei Genkai. A small part of me was worried with the fact that my eldest brother, Jiro, was not among them. Out of all my siblings, he truly despised me. If any one of them wanted to take me out of the picture, I was certain that Jiro would have volunteered freely.

‘Maybe I should drop out from the Chuunin Exams? Maybe I should just gather up my belongings and leave Konoha while I still had the chance?’

If only it were that easy to escape my brothers; if I left Konohagakure, they would only finish my father’s orders before pursuing me. Konoha’s best chance of surviving my father’s vengeance was me — unfortunately. It was quite frustrating to think that just when I thought my life had been turning for the better… just when I thought I could possibly live a normal life, something like this would happen. My older brothers were quite aware of my presence here in the village, and now I knew I had to be light on my feet around them. If I didn’t give my siblings a reason to attack me, then just maybe, I could reason with them. I could convince them to leave my father’s cause as well, to join the ranks of Konoha and live their lives as they wished. One’s freedom was always a bargain, but I haven’t spoken to my brothers in months; I couldn’t assume they were the same as I had left them. ‘People truly did change over time.’ I pushed my thoughts aside as I glanced down the hallway, realizing that shinobi and kunoichi alike were finally heading toward their respected examination rooms. The Chuunin Exams was the least of my concerns, but a small smile formed over my lips once I spotted Team Seven hastily making their way towards me.

The corners of my smile slowly fell once I noticed the annoyed look that adorned Sasuke’s features. Naruto was beaming from ear to ear, his arms resting on the back of his head as he trotted in synch with his teammates. It didn’t take them long to spot me, but I made no effort to meet them as I remained perched against the wall, confusion evident over my features. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura came to a halt in front of me, and their silence only made me question what had happened during my absence even more. “Why do you look so annoyed, Sasuke? You were practically itching to prove yourself to that kid.”