Naruto stepped forward, grabbing Mini Sasuke's hand and pulling him behind his back like a shield. He glared at Tenten, a mock-serious pout on his face.
"Yes… we don't understand…" Sakura snapped at her and said giving support to Mini Sasuke.Tenten opened her mouth—and stopped. Because they really didn't understand.
"You're just jealous, Tenten! You're mad because you aren't 'special' with fancy eyes like Sasuke and Neji, dattebayo!"
"Exactly!" Lee added in, punching his palm with youthful intensity. "Tenten! We must not let our lack of bloodline limits turn into a fire of resentment! We must fuel our youth with teamwork, not jealousy!"
Tenten's face turned a bright, angry red.
"Jealous?! Naruto, you idiot, you don't have a special bloodline either!"
Naruto just shrugged, a small, genuine smile crossing his face. "Yeah, I know. I'm not special at all. That's why I'm not wasting my time blaming anyone. We're all in this mess together, right?"
Mini Sasuke looked up at the back of Naruto's orange sweater. 'He's actually... really nice.' the boy thought, his heart warming. 'He's a loser and he's loud, but he's the only one standing up for me right now.'
Neji let out a long, weary sigh that clouded in the air. "It doesn't matter who looks like what and what type of eyes or kekei genkai they have." It was a first and a timid step to end the dispute. But..
But Tenten didn't stop. She exhaled sharply, irritation slipping back into her tone. "Yeah? Then what about the part where a servant found it the next morning?"
The silence was immediate. Naruto's head snapped toward her. "...Found what?" Sakura blinked in confusion while Hinata shook her head slowly, whispering that she didn't understand.
Mini Sasuke looked between them, his voice small as he asked what happened. Tenten stared at them, and then her expression shifted.
"...Wait. You seriously don't know?"
The air tightened. Neji closed his eyes, rubbing them slowly, thinking, '…This is bad.' Sasuke didn't move, his jaw tight. 'Tch… I never thought that this would be the worst case-scenario. '
Naruto's head snapped toward her. "...Found what?" Hinata shook her head slowly. "I… don't understand…" Mini Sasuke looked between them, confused. "What happened…?"
Sakura blinked. "What are you talking about?" She stepped forward, telling Tenten to stop being vague and just say it,
Tenten looked between them all and let out a short breath. "You're kidding me…" Before she could continue, Lee stepped forward dramatically, his voice echoing.
"I SHALL EXPLAIN!"
He took a deep inhale and began speaking the whole truth. "Last night, after you all..the girls had completed their bath, we—the youthful boys—entered the bathhouse as well! However, due to the late hour, we were forced to leave quickly to avoid being discovered!"
Naruto blinked, letting out a confused "...Okay…?" as Lee continued, serious now.
"In that rush, everyone gathered their belongings… but one item was left behind."
A pause.
Sasuke's gaze shifted slightly. "Mini Sasuke-kun's shirt," Lee said. Silence fell. "It bore the Uchiha clan crest," he added quietly.
Shock spread across Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Mini Sasuke. Along with Sasuke grabbing his face with his hands in pure horror and a feeling of being ashamed.
"It was left in the laundry basket… and discovered by a servant the following morning." Sakura's eyes widened and Hinata gasped softly, while Mini Sasuke froze, whispering, "My… shirt…?"
Lee nodded. "Neji and Sasuke-kun discovered this in the morning. That is why we acted immediately… and had no time to explain."
The silence broke. "What?!" Naruto stepped forward, eyes wide. "Then why didn't you tell us, dattebayo?!"
Sakura's voice followed, sharp. "We were all together! You could have said something! Lee-san at least you could have.."
Tenten crossed her arms defensively, "I didn't know at first! Neji told me when we got separated!"
Naruto's head snapped toward Lee. "And you?! I thought you didn't know either!"
Lee straightened instantly. "In times of crisis, Naruto-kun, swift action is the embodiment of youth—!"
"That's not the point!" Naruto snapped.
The tension spiked again, voices rising and frustration building until Neji's voice cut through everything—sharp and final.
"Enough!" Neji's voice cut through the bickering like a kunai. He waited until everyone calmed down before continuing.
"Even if the clothes were found, that wasn't the final nail in our coffin...."
Naruto cut Neji and said, " Wait... There is more to all this. Wasn't these many lies enough?"
Neji looked at him in pure annoyance for cutting his words mid sentence to complete his foolish lines.
"Last night, while everyone was sleeping soundly, I went to use the restroom. I heard the hotel staff whispering in the hallway."
Sakura turned to him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What were they saying?"
"They found physical evidence in one of the rooms," Neji stated, his eyes narrowing. "At the time, I didn't think much of it. I assumed it was some traveler's lost luggage. But they were talking about a forehead protector. One that didn't belong to Tetsu no Kuni."
Sasuke stiffened. "A forehead protector? When did that happen?"
"Like I said, you were all asleep," Neji replied. "I didn't realize the gravity of it until Lee told us what he heard in the restaurant."
"But that is impossible!" Lee shouted, his hands flying to his head in confusion. "We were most careful! We dug a hole and buried our Konoha protectors deep in the forest before we ever entered the village's gates! We should have no such items on us to lose!"
The group fell into a sudden, chilling silence as they realized the reality: If they hadn't lost one, then how did a Konoha protector end up in their hotel?
The freezing air in the alleyway seemed to turn into shards of glass as a choked, horrified sound escaped from the back of the group.
"No way..."
Everyone snapped their heads towards the sound. Naruto was standing perfectly still, his face pale against the colour of his orange jacket. He was clutching both sides of his head with his hands, his fingers digging into his blonde hair as beads of cold sweat began to roll down his forehead.
Mini Sasuke, feeling Naruto's warm hand slip away from his own, looked up with a confused frown. "Hey... what's the matter with you?"
Sakura stepped closer, her heart sinking as she saw the panic in Naruto's eyes. She reached out, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. "Naruto? Are you okay? You're shaking..."
Many thoughts were screaming in her head. 'Please, Naruto... tell me I'm wrong.' She pleaded silently, her gaze searching his. 'You wouldn't have kept it. You couldn't have been that reckless. Please, don't say a word. Just stay quiet!'
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed into points. He didn't move, but his voice was like a razor. "Naruto. What is it?"
Sakura spun around, forcing a frantic, bright smile as she looked at Sasuke. "He's just shocked! Right, Naruto? He's just overwhelmed that the villagers found us out. It's a lot to take in—I mean, right?"
Sasuke didn't even blink. He began to walk toward Naruto, his pace slow and predatory. "Move, Sakura. Tell me what you're hiding, loser."
"Sasuke-kun, stop! He's just tired!" Sakura waved her hands frantically, trying to block his path, but Sasuke didn't even break his flow.
"Move," he said coldly, shoving her aside with a firm shoulder. He stepped directly into Naruto's personal space, his shadow looming over the blonde boy. "I'm not going to ask you again. What did you do?"
Naruto looked up at Sasuke, his blue eyes wide and desperate. "We have to go back." he whispered, his voice cracking. "Sasuke, we have to get back to the Pavilion. Right now!"
Neji's brow furrowed in suspicion. "Why? The Pavilion is a death trap now. Why would we ever go back there?"
Sakura jumped in front of Naruto again, her arms spread wide. "Sasuke-kun, leave him alone! We need to focus on the exit!"
"Sakura, move before I hurt you," Sasuke whispered.
Tenten and Hinata exchanged a look of pure dread. Sensing the boiling point, Tenten rushed forward and grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling her back. "Sakura, don't meddle! You're going to get caught in the middle of them!"
Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's kimono, his knuckles white. "I'm telling you, we have to go back! I need to get in there immediately!"
Lee stepped between them, his hands up in a peace-making gesture. "Naruto-kun! Please, calm your spirit! Tell us what the matter is so we can face it with youth together!"
Sasuke's gaze shifted from Naruto's face to the empty space where his forehead protector usually sat. A dark, ugly realization began to take shape in his mind. "Was it yours?"
Neji looked at Sasuke, then back at Naruto, his Byakugan de-activated but his mind sharp. "What? Sasuke, what are you saying?"
"Move aside Gejimayu!" Naruto shouted, trying to push past. "Are you coming with me or not, Sasuke? Because if you aren't, I'm going alone!"
Sasuke lost his patience. He shoved Lee aside with a violent burst of energy, his hand reaching out to grab Naruto's collar. "Tell me it wasn't yours! Tell me before I choose to hit you, you moron!"
Naruto's breath hitched. He looked Sasuke right in the eye, the guilt finally bursting out of him. "YES! It was mine, okay?! The forehead protector they found... it's mine!"
The alleyway went dead silent. The only sound was the howling wind.
Then—CRACK.
Sasuke's fist connected with Naruto's jaw with a sickening thud. The force of the blow sent Naruto spinning, his body hitting the frozen snow of the ground with a heavy thud.
"You absolute BASTARD!" Sasuke shouted, his chest heaving with rage. "You kept it? After we all agreed to bury them?! You've put everyone's life on the line because you couldn't give up a piece of metal!"
Mini Sasuke's eyes went wide, and he squeezed them shut, flinching at the violence. Hinata and Tenten both gasped, their hands flying to their mouths in a synchronized mask of horror.
Sakura stood frozen, her eyes filling with tears as she watched Naruto lie in the snow. She had known. She had felt it in her gut, and seeing it play out was worse than the suspicion.
Neji stood with one hand still hovering in mid-air; he had been a second too slow to catch Sasuke's arm. Lee, unable to watch the lack of comradeship, covered his eyes with one hand, his head bowed in shame.
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 75-IRON 📊
LOSER: Uzumaki Naruto 🍥🟠
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"You are acting like animals! Do you want to be spotted and killed by those Samurais?!"
"Neji! Lee! Get them apart or we're all dead! This isn't a training ground!"
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,—
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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