"Not now, Lee!" Tenten cut him off sharply, shaking her head.
"Yeah, save it, Gejimayu," Naruto added, dismissively waving a hand. "We don't have time for your 'Youth' speeches right now, dattebayo. We're freezing out here."
Sakura looked around the small group, her brow furrowing as she did a mental headcount. "Wait... let me see. Naruto, Hinata, Lee-san, Neji-san, Tenten, and me." She paused, her green eyes scanning the snowy corners of the alleyway. "How many of us are still missing?"
Tenten began to look left and right, checking the shadows of the nearby buildings, while Hinata started to count the group again under her breath, her fingers tapping against her palm.
Neji turned his head, his pale eyes searching the path they had just walked. He looked back at Naruto, his expression becoming serious.
"Naruto... where is Sasuke?"
Neji's question hung in the freezing air, turning Naruto's fading grumpiness back into a sharp, bitter edge. The blonde ninja stiffened, his hands clenching into fists inside his pockets.
"How should I know, dattebayo?" Naruto grumbled, his voice dropping a wave. He didn't look at Neji; instead, he glared at a patch of dirty snow on the ground. "He's the one who said 'just run' and disappeared into the shadows, remember? Probably off doing his own 'cool' thing while the rest of us were busy falling off roofs and getting hit with buckets."
Sakura flinched at the bite in Naruto's tone. She looked between Neji and Naruto, her green eyes shimmering with a sudden, fresh anxiety.
'Sasuke-kun... still hasn't caught up with us?'
She bit her lip, her hand instinctively reaching for the medical pouch at her hip. "He... he said we would regroup later. Maybe he got delayed by more Samurai? Or maybe he found a lead on the mission?"
"Or maybe he just didn't care enough to look back," Naruto muttered under his breath, though in the quiet alley, everyone heard it.
Neji's brow furrowed. He could feel the heavy cloak of resentment rolling off Naruto. He glanced at Tenten, who looked equally uncomfortable, and then back at the empty path behind them.
"He was right behind us when we entered the market district," Neji stated calmly, though his pale eyes were scanning the rooftops with his Byakugan deactivated. "With his speed, he should have found us by now. Unless..."
"Unless what, Neji-niisan?" Hinata asked softly, her hands still joined together. She could feel the sadness coming out from Naruto, and it made her heart ache.
She wanted to say something to defend Sasuke—to keep the team together—but she knew how much Naruto had been hurt that day.
"Unless he found something he wasn't supposed to," Neji finished, his expression hardening.
Lee, who had been quiet for all of ten seconds, suddenly gasped. "You do not think Sasuke-kun has been captured?! That would be a tragedy of the highest order! I must go back! I will rescue him with the power of—"
"Stop it, Lee!" Tenten grabbed the back of his green jumpsuit before he could bolt. "We can't just go running back into the market. It's crawling with Samurai. We need a plan."
Naruto let out a harsh, dry laugh. "A plan? Sasuke doesn't need a plan. He's 'Uchiha Sasuke'. Don't forget that. He's probably fine. In fact..."
Naruto turned his back on the group, starting to walk deeper into the alleyway, "I bet he's already found a warm place to stay and is just waiting for us to 'catch up' so he can call us losers, dattebayo."
But as he walked, Naruto's shoulders were bent. The anger was there, but beneath it was that same hollow loneliness from the market.
"Naruto..." Sakura called out, taking a step toward him. "We can't just leave him out there."
Naruto stopped, his back still turned to them. "I'm not leaving him, okay?!" he yelled, though he didn't turn around to show his face. "We're just going to find a place where we won't turn into popsicles! That Teme..."
"...he's probably just trying to act cool and show up at the last second anyway. When he gets here, I'm gonna be the one to tell him he's late, dattebayo!"
The tense atmosphere in the alleyway shattered with the sound of a familiar, cool voice coming through the falling snow.
"There's no need for all this shouting," the voice said, quiet but steady.
Everyone froze. Naruto's shoulders jumped as he recognized the tone, and he slowly turned his head along with the others toward the mouth of the alley.
Standing there, shadowed against the grey light, were Sasuke and Mini Sasuke.
Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, his dark hair dusted with white flakes. The relief in the group was instantaneous.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out, her eyes brightening.
"You're safe!" Hinata added, her hands flying over her heart.
Even Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, though he quickly masked it with a shout. "Sasuke!!"
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, a small, ghost of a smile touching his lips. "You didn't need to worry about me, I told you we would—"
His sentence was cut short by a sudden, laughing sound. Naruto had stepped closer, his eyes dropping to Sasuke's waist, and then he pointed a shaking finger.
"Pffft—hahaha! What are you wearing, Teme?!" Naruto laughed, bending over as he stared at the traditional kimono Sasuke had been forced into earlier.
"A kimono? You look like you're heading to a summer festival in the middle of a calamity! Dattebayo!"
Naruto's gaze then darted to Neji, who was standing nearby in similar attire. "And Neji too! Hahaha! You guys look ridiculous!"
Lee joined in, his loud, cheerful laughter echoing off the stone walls as he held his stomach. "It is a very traditional look, Naruto-kun! But perhaps a bit breezy for Tetsu no Kuni!"
Sasuke's brow twitched, a vein throbbing in his forehead as his smile vanished into a look of pure annoyance. Beside him, Neji adjusted his sleeves with a stiff, icy dignity, his pale eyes narrowing at the laughing duo.
While the boys were distracted, Mini Sasuke walked past the chaos toward Sakura and Hinata. He stopped in front of the purple-haired girl, looking up at her with a rare, serious expression.
"Nee-san," the boy said softly. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind back there. The situation was so tense... I didn't know what to do."
Hinata's expression softened instantly. She reached down and gently patted his black hair, her smile warm and maternal. "Don't apologize, and please don't worry. I am completely fine, and I'm just glad you and Sasuke-kun are safe."
Sakura, however, was still scanning the empty street behind them, her forehead creased. *What about the others? Ino and Karin still haven't appeared."
Sasuke looked over at her, his expression turning serious again. "Don't worry about them. My younger self and I came across them near the Exit Gate; we're supposed to meet them there."
Tenten let out a long, weary sigh, leaning back against the wall. "So, are we leaving already? I've seen enough snow to last a lifetime."
The entire group—minus Hinata—turned and looked at Tenten with flat, annoyed expressions.
"What?" Tenten asked, her hands flying up. "What did I say wrong?"
Hinata, however, didn't look annoyed at all. She just looked at Tenten with her usual kind, calm gaze.
'Honestly,' Tenten thought to herself, glancing at Hinata's peaceful face. 'Hinata is the only normal one. She's definitely the sweetest person in this entire group.'
Sakura put a hand on her forehead, closing her eyes. "Honestly, Tenten... we just got back together and you're already trying to rush us into situation ."
"All those dangerous things that happened to you," Naruto added, crossing his arms and huffing. "And you're just worried about staying, dattebayo?"
Sasuke grunted, his eyes dark. "What else do you need, Tenten? A formal invitation from the Samurai?"
"I have had quite enough of Tetsu no Kuni." Neji added firmly.
Mini Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, looking at Tenten with a look of mock-pity. "Even a small kid like me knows why we need to leave, but you don't? Hmph."
Naruto and Lee burst into fresh rounds of laughter at the kid's comment. Tenten's face flushed red with anger. "Why you little—!"
"I was just joking!" Mini Sasuke quickly hid behind Sasuke's leg, a small smirk playing on his face. "Don't take what I say to heart, Tenten."
Sasuke cleared his throat, his posture stiffening. "Listen. I have something very important to tell you all."
"I ALSO HAVE SOMETHING!" Lee shouted urgently, his eyes wide. "It is a matter of great importance! I must tell you—"
"Not now, Lee!" Tenten snapped, putting a hand over his mouth.
"Yeah, save it for later, Gejimayu," Naruto added, waving him off.
"But it is vital!" Lee muffled against Tenten's hand, but the group had already turned their full attention to Sasuke.
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak about the ANBU he saw on the market place, but Mini Sasuke cut in first, looking up at the group. "Back in the market... I crushed someone's feet!"
The silence that followed was total.
---
📊 BATTLE REPORT: 73-IRON 📊
LOSER: Rock Lee 🪨🟢
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"I had to defend my position."
"Maybe we should let him speak..."
---
—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
---