A wooden bucket, heavy with warm water, came flying through the steam, hitting Naruto in the face with a loud THWACK.
A few minutes later, three very damp, very embarrassed ninjas were walking down a quiet back alley of Tetsu no Kuni, trying to look invisible. Naruto was rubbing a massive, red lump that was forming on his forehead.
"Unbelievable," Sakura sighed, wiping a drop of soapy water from her eye. "How could they scream at us?! I can understand them yelling at Naruto, but Hinata and me?! We're girls! It's not like a girl is gonna stare at another girl's body!"
She was still angry about the unfairness of the accusation.
"The one who should have been scolded was only Naruto! He was the one peeping!" She shot Naruto a glare. "And don't forget, Naruto! Never ever hold me like that again without my permission!"
Naruto let out a nervous, hollow laugh, rubbing the bruise. He looked at Sakura, then at Hinata who was walking silently, still bright red and staring at her toes, and then he just gave a final chuckle.
"Hey, I was just trying to save you, Sakura-chan! I didn't ask for a bucket to the face, dattebayo!"
The three of them trudged through the narrow back alley, the steam from the bathhouse still dampening their hair. Naruto led the way, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his face still throbbing from the bucket-to-the-face incident.
"Did either of you see where that Gejimayu went?" Naruto grumbled, his voice low and bitter. "Things got so crazy back there... I totally forgot he just vanished, dattebayo!"
Sakura sighed, readjusting her gloves against the biting cold. "I didn't see a thing. I was a little busy trying to keep us from sliding off a warehouse, remember?"
Beside her, Hinata was walking with her eyes squeezed shut, her hand locked firmly in Sakura's. She was still so overwhelmed by the memory of the 'hug' on the roof that she was practically pretending to be blind, her face a permanent shade of pink as she navigated by touch alone.
"I'm gonna hit him," Naruto muttered, his eyes narrowing as they approached a sharp stone corner. "The second I see him, I'm not sparing him. How dare he leave me behind like that, dattebayo!"
Naruto rounded the corner with a stomp—and BAM.
He slammed chest-first into a solid, green-clad figure. The impact sent Naruto reeling backward, his boots sliding on the snow covered ground.
"Owww! My nose! My head!" Naruto cried out, clutching his face. "I curse this day! Why is everything hitting me in the face today, dattebayo?!"
Still blinded by the sting in his nose, Naruto shouted at the figure in front of him. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you idiot! Do you have any idea what kind of day I'm—"
"Oh! I am deeply, truly sorry!" a familiar, earnest voice rang out.
The sound of that voice made Naruto's heart stop. He froze, slowly lowering his hands to peek through his fingers.
"Lee-san?" Sakura called out from behind him, her eyes wide as she pulled a still-blinking Hinata to a halt.
Naruto looked at the person in front of him. The figure was already bent over in a deep, ninety-degree bow of apology. Naruto stared at the top of the bowl-cut hair, his eyes twitching. 'Why does this guy's clothes look so much like...'
The person straightened up, his massive, round eyes locking onto Naruto's stunned face.
"Naruto-kun!" Lee screamed, his face instantly crumpling into a mask of pure, overflowing emotion.
"GEJIMAYU!" Naruto screamed at the exact same time, his finger pointing accusingly at Lee's nose.
Suddenly, Lee began to shed massive, sparkling 'tears of youth' that seemed to freeze as they hit the air. "Oh, thank the heavens! You are all safe! I was so worried that my departure had caused a rift in our formation!"
"TEME!" Naruto lunged forward, grabbing Lee by his green collar and shaking him back and forth. "Where did you run off to?! How dare you show your face after leaving me back there to deal with everything, dattebayo!"
"Naruto-kun, please! I can explain!" Lee stammered, his thick eyebrows wobbling. "I was merely—"
"I'll tell you what you were!" Naruto pulled his right fist back, his face twisting into a mask of fury. "You're gonna get it, Gejimayu! This is for the roof! This is for the bucket! This is for EVERYTHING!"
"Naruto-kun, stop! Please!" Lee cried out, his hands held up in a defensive, trembling pose.
Hinata gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she watched Naruto's fist begin its downward arc. Lee squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact of a lifetime.
THUD.
The punch never landed.
Sakura's gloved hand had reached out, catching Naruto's wrist in mid-air with a firm, iron-like grip. She let out a long, weary sigh that clouded in the cold air.
"That's enough, Naruto," Sakura said, her voice tired but commanding.
Lee fell to his knees in the snow, his forehead touching the ground in a desperate plea. "I am sorry! I will never leave the formation again! I swear it on my leg weights!"
Naruto tried to pull his arm back, looking annoyed. "Why did you stop me, Sakura-chan?! He deserved that punch! He left us in the middle of a disaster, dattebayo!"
Sakura put her free hand to her forehead, closing her eyes as if dealing with a massive headache. "Believe me, he deserves it. But you can't go around injuring your own friends just because you're angry, Naruto."
"I totally could! It's his fault!" Naruto argued, though he stopped pulling against her grip.
"Please, Lee-san, get up off the ground," Sakura said, letting go of Naruto's wrist and looking down at the weeping Lee. "Everything is alright now. Just... don't ever leave us behind like that again. Understand?"
"Yes! I understand! My loyalty is renewed!" Lee jumped to his feet, saluting with such intensity that his heels clicked together.
"Yeah, yeah... whatever, dattebayo," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and huffing, though the fire in his eyes had finally started to dim.
Hinata let out a small, invisible sigh of relief, her shoulders finally relaxing. She looked at Lee, then at the back of Naruto's head, thinking to herself how close Lee had come to a very painful bruise if Sakura hadn't stepped in.
A few metres away, behind the stone corner of a closed tea shop, two figures remained pressed against the cold wall. They peered out cautiously, watching the chaotic reunion in the alley.
"Naruto looks truly furious," Tenten whispered, her brown eyes tracking the way Naruto was still huffing. She adjusted one of the two buns tied neatly in her hair. "If we don't handle this right, we are going to be doomed."
Beside her, Neji stood with his arms crossed, his pale eyes fixed on the purple-haired girl in the distance. A small tension left his shoulders. "I am glad that Hinata-sama is unharmed," he murmured.
Tenten turned to him, letting out a weary sigh. "Well, Neji, we can't hide here forever. We should probably confront them now, or Naruto's temper is only going to get shorter."
Neji closed his eyes for a moment, nodding in agreement. "You are right. We will undoubtedly be scolded for running away."
A mischievous smile played on Tenten's lips as she waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry. I'll just tell everyone it wasn't my fault. I'll say you were the one who grabbed my hand and dragged me away!"
Neji's eyes snapped open, his expression one of genuine shock. "Tenten! You would not dare suggest such a falsehood."
"Watch me," she teased, her grin widening. "I'll tell them exactly that."
"Do not say that," Neji warned, his voice low.
"Oh, look who decided to join the party!"
The voice cut through their bickering like a kunai. Both Neji and Tenten startled, their heads whipping toward the alley. Naruto was standing there, his legs spread wide and his arms locked across his chest. He wasn't yelling yet, but the look on his face was pure irony.
"Come on out," Naruto commanded, his voice dripping with a mock-politeness that felt more dangerous than a scream. "I know you've been hiding there this whole time, dattebayo."
Neji and Tenten stepped out from behind the wall, wearing identical looks of 'we've been caught.' Naruto stood his ground, staring them down with narrowed, grumpy eyes. Beside him, Hinata held both her hands together, her gaze worried as she looked at her cousin. Sakura remained a few steps back, one hand planted firmly on her hip, while Lee—still on his knees from his previous apology—looked up at his teammates with wide, watery eyes.
'Oh no,' Tenten thought, her stomach dropping. 'He really is mad.'
Neji was the first to move, walking toward the group with a stiff, formal step. He stopped a few feet from Naruto. "I apologize. Our separation was... regrettable."
"Oh, 'regrettable'?" Naruto repeated, his voice rising. "First you run away when things get heated, and now you just pop out of the shadows and say 'sorry'? You think a simple 'regrettable' cover will make me forget everything, dattebayo?!"
"Naruto-kun, please..." Hinata whispered, reaching out a hand as if to calm the storm.
"No way, Hinata! These guys just vanished!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Neji. "You're supposed to be the tactical genius, and Tenten is supposed to have our backs! What kind of teamwork is that, dattebayo?!"
Tenten stepped forward, her hands raised in a peace offering. "Naruto, wait! It wasn't exactly like that. We got cut off by the crowd and—"
She glanced at Neji, remembered her joke, but then saw the red bruise on Naruto's head and decided better of it. "Anyway, we really are sorry. We should have stayed closer."
Sakura let out a long breath, her posture softening. "Fine. At least everyone is in one piece. We can't afford to stand in this alleyway all day arguing."
"I suppose," Naruto grumbled, though he kept his arms crossed, his lip still curled in a pout. "But I'm still not happy about it, dattebayo."
Neji ignored Naruto's grumbling and walked straight over to Hinata. He scanned her from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the snow still dusting her coat. "Hinata-sama... are you truly alright? You did not get any injuries in the confusion?"
Hinata gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Yes, Neji-niisan. I am okay. I was just... very worried about you as well. I am glad you are safe."
Neji nodded once, his face returning to its usual mask of calm. "I am."
"EVERYONE!" Lee suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet with his finger in the air. "I have something of the utmost importance to tell you! It is a matter of great—"
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 72-IRON 📊
LOSER: Hyuga Neji ☯️
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"We don't have time for your 'Youth' speeches right now, dattebayo."
"Naruto... where is Sasuke?"
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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