【𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄】

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄

          𝐓he sky hadn’t yet chosen a color. it lingered in that soft blur between night and morning. where stars still whispered faintly in the far-off blue, and the earth exhaled slowly, wrapped in silver mist. the village slept beneath a thin veil of quiet, while the training field lay empty, damp with dew.

and then, footsteps.

not one. but four.

          from the north, south, east, and west—they arrived at the exact same time, as if drawn by an invisible thread tied to the center of the clearing.

          from the south, 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐎 shuffled down the dirt slope, rubbing her eyes, her pink hair mussed by sleep. her footsteps dragged as if the weight of the morning clung to her legs. she didn’t speak at first, just yawned into her sleeve, eyes still half-lidded, before muttering a groggy, “morning…”

          from the west came 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎 𝐔𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈, barely upright. he stumbled forward like a wind-up doll past its charge, mouth parted in a sleepy moan, arms dangling uselessly. his hair was even wilder than usual, his eyes still closed. he groaned. “ughhh… umhhm…” like a zombie.

          from the east, 𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐇𝐀 emerged through the trees, as composed as if he’d been awake for hours. he walked without sound, black eyes sharp beneath the heavy sky. arms folded, he passed by the others, saying nothing. his clothes were perfect. his face unreadable.

          and from the north, the quietest entrance of all.

a breath of wind lifted.

          a butterfly floated across the path,carried not by breeze but by presence.

          𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐊𝐎 𝐊𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐎 stepped out from the shadow of a tree. the air around her seemed to hush. her haori, soft lavender fading to white, moved like drifting cloud-edges. on her shoulder rested a butterfly — pale-winged, shimmering faintly in the low light — utterly still, even as she walked.

          her eyes were downcast at first, thick lashes casting delicate shadows along her pale cheeks. each step she took was soundless, weightless, as if the earth itself bent beneath her in reverence. her skin, kissed by the last moonlight—glowed. her features like porcelain carved by an artist with reverent hands.

          at her hip hung a sword. slender. silent. its sheath was engraved with faint silver wings, and the silk around the handle matched the quiet of her voice.

          naruto blinked, now very much awake. “sa-sakura,” he whispered. “she’s got a sword.”

          “and a butterfly that doesn’t even move.” sakura replied under her breath, eyebrows raised.

they both stared.

          ameiko’s eyes finally lifted, meeting theirs. “good morning,” she said softly. her voice was the kind that lingered in the air like perfume. gentle. low. unrushed.

          then she glanced toward the rising sky, her gaze unfocused, dreamy. “the wind is shy today,” she murmured. “even the light takes its time… as though waiting for something beautiful to begin.”

          naruto and sakura exchanged wide-eyed glances. “…what?” he mouthed. “just nod,” sakura whispered.

they nodded in awkward silence.

          sasuke turned his head slightly, eyes settling on ameiko or more precisely, on the butterfly that hadn’t flinched once on her shoulder. then, his gaze slid down to her sword, then up again. their eyes met for only a second.

she smiled, faint and unreadable.

while he only looked away.

time crawled by.

          the sun began to rise fully, pushing soft golden rays across the clearing. shadows stretched long and lean. sakura had slumped to the ground beside naruto, who had curled up and begun snoring faintly into his scarf. sasuke stood, still as a statue, eyes constantly moving while watching trees, watching shadows—

…and occasionally, ameiko.

          she sat on her knees in the grass, her sleeves fanned out like wings. a squirrel — small and dust-colored — scampered forward through the underbrush, then paused as if sensing something strange.

          ameiko extended a hand—gloved, gentle and still— to the squirrel who twitched its nose, then climbed onto her palm, unafraid. she stroked its back gently with her thumb, her smile deepening in silence.

          sakura stared from a distance, unsure if what she was seeing was real or a dream.

          and then,  “yo.” a voice, light and lazy, broke the air like a pebble tossed into still water.

the squirrel bolted.

          ameiko stood in a single, fluid motion, the folds of her haori whispering as they settled.

          their teacher stood nearby — hands in his pockets, his face half-hidden behind his book and mask. kakashi hatake.

          “you’re late!” naruto yelled, springing up, suddenly full of life. “we’ve been waiting forever!” sakura added, glaring.

          kakashi blinked at them. “well… a black cat crossed my path,” he said casually. “had to take the long way around.”

silence.

even naruto didn’t laugh.kakashi cleared his throat.

         “…ahem. oh well.” he knelt and pulled out a silver alarm clock from his pouch, placing it atop a flat rock. “it’s set to noon.”

          then, with a small flick of his wrist, he pulled out two small bells. they jingled quietly, almost delicately, in the morning stillness. “your assignment,” he said, “is simple. take these bells from me before the timer rings.”

          he shook them again.“if you fail…” he pointed toward four wooden logs tied upright. “…you’ll be tied up. and i’ll eat lunch right in front of you.”

          naruto’s jaw dropped. “what?!”

          kakashi kept smiling beneath his mask. “not only that… those who fail get no lunch.”

          naruto clutched his stomach, which let out an unfortunate growl on cue. sakura’s brows furrowed. ‘so that’s why he told us not to eat breakfast.’ sasuke thought the same—although his eyes wondered at ameiko, who stood unbothered from all the ordeal.

          “but…” sakura asked slowly, raising two fingers. “why only two bells?”

          kakashi’s smile deepened. “there are only two,” he said. “which means at least two of you… will fail.”

silence fell like snow.

naruto flinched.sakura’s fingers dropped.sasuke’s expression darkened.ameiko’s smile simply sharpened.

          kakashi tilted his head. “it might be two… or it could be all of you. depends on what you do.” he then added,  “you’re allowed to use anything. shuriken, ” his eyes shifted directly to ameiko for a moment. “or swords.”

          sasuke, sakura and naruto’s eyes immediately flicked back to ameiko’s side, to the silent blade nestled there.

          she touched the hilt with her fingers, almost absentmindedly. the butterfly on her shoulder still hadn’t moved.

          kakashi’s tone dropped. “but you won’t get these bells unless you come at me… with the intent to kill.”

          sakura gasped. “but that’s dangerous, sensei!”

          “y-yeah!” naruto stammered, laughing nervously. “you couldn’t even dodge a chalkboard eraser!”

          kakashi’s eye narrowed. “those who aren’t skilled,” he said, “tend to complain the loudest.”

a pause.

“…just ignore the loser.”

the word hit naruto like a slap.

loser… loser… loser…

          it echoed like a taunt in his head. naruto’s face twisted. his fist clenched. “raaaahh!!” he lunged forward, shuriken in hand — wild and fast.

          but kakashi didn’t move. in the blink of an eye, naruto’s wrist was twisted, his own blade pointed at the back of his head. kakashi stood behind him, calm, effortless.

          “don’t be so hasty,” he said. “i didn’t say start yet. ”

sakura froze.sasuke’s eyes widened.

          ameiko tilted her head. her lashes fluttered like moth wings. the shadow they cast over her cheek deepened the porcelain glow of her skin. she said nothing, only observed. eyes locked on kakashi with something like… curiosity.

not shock.not fear.just intrigue.

           so fast, she thought. but not too fast to follow… not yet.

          kakashi turned, meeting her gaze for a breath of a moment. he felt it again, that stillness behind her smile. a quiet that wasn’t innocence. a quiet that felt like a blade still sheathed.

          kakashi then looked at naruto, “i’ll admit,” he said, releasing naruto, “at least you came at me with intent.”

          a chuckle behind the mask. “i think i’m finally starting to like you guys.” he raised the bells once more.

“now… we begin.”

his voice dipped.

“ready…”

ching-ching.

“…start.”

and then they were gone.

           all four genin vanished into the trees, their silhouettes swallowed by the morning light.

kakashi stood alone.

the alarm clock ticked.

           and somewhere near the forest’s edge, a butterfly floated after its master — silent, silver, and waiting.

          kakashi remained where he stood, the silver alarm clock ticking softly by his feet. his single visible eye scanned the clearing slowly — the trees, the underbrush, the air itself.

          “fundamentally,” he thought, “a ninja must mask their presence and hide.”

          he could sense them. one above. one low. one... gone?

          up in the branches, sasuke uchiha crouched like a predator waiting for the perfect opening. his eyes never left kakashi’s position. he watched every twitch, every breath, calculating.

          not far from the clearing, sakura lay flat against the earth, buried halfway into a thick bush, barely breathing. leaves clung to her hair. a thin bead of sweat rolled down her temple.

          “okay,” kakashi murmured in his head, “everyone’s hidden pretty well…”

          his thought was interrupted.

          a voice — loud, proud, unmistakable — rang out from the center of the field.

          “alright! let’s face off fair and square!”

          kakashi blinked.

          there, standing out in the open like a beacon of bad ideas, was naruto uzumaki. arms crossed, chin lifted, grinning like a challenge had already been won.

          kakashi deadpanned. “…huh?”

          in the trees, sasuke let out a barely audible exhale. “that goof,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

          sakura, pressed against a bush, slapped a hand over her face. “idiot…” she hissed, teeth clenched.

          kakashi scratched his cheek under the mask. “say,” he called out, “aren’t you a bit off-kilter for a killer?”

        but naruto just glared at him. “what’s off-kilter is your hairstyle!”

          then, without warning, he took off, charging full-speed toward kakashi with a loud, defiant yell.

          kakashi didn’t move. not even a twitch.

          his visible eye blinked lazily as one hand reached calmly toward the pouch on his thigh.

          naruto faltered mid-sprint. his brows jumped. ‘what’s he pulling out?’  he braked clumsily on the grass and skidded backward, ready to dodge.

          but instead of a weapon, out came a small orange book.

          a soft jingle of its plastic bookmark. and bold, printed letters on the cover—

          make-out paradise.

          naruto's jaw dropped.

          “w-what the—?!”

          kakashi flipped the book open and began reading with serene focus, as if the battlefield had become a hot spring.

          “i’ll teach you your first shinobi battle technique,” kakashi said absently, eyes still on the page. “taijutsu.”

          naruto stared at him. ‘taijutsu? that’s hand-to-hand combat!… then why the hell is he pulling out a book?!’

          “h-hey!” naruto snapped, cheeks flushing. “what’s with the book?!”

          kakashi didn’t look up. “hm?” he turned a page. “oh. just curious what happens next.”

          he added smoothly, “but don’t worry. with you guys as opponents, it makes no difference if i’m reading or not.”

          that did it.

          naruto’s face turned red from anger, “i’m gonna rip you apart!”

          he lunged again, arms swinging wildly, one punch after another, a spinning kick. his movements were fast, but reckless.

          kakashi dodged every strike effortlessly, without lifting his gaze from the pages. he ducked, stepped back, leaned sideways. even when naruto’s foot came inches from his temple, kakashi didn’t flinch.

          “you’re moving too much,” he said calmly, flipping to the next chapter. “and… now you’re open.”

          blink.

          kakashi vanished from naruto’s line of sight.

          “w-where’d he—”

          a shadow loomed behind him.

          sasuke’s eyes narrowed. from his perch in the tree, he watched intently. ‘that hand sign... fire style?’

          sasuke realized, eyes darkening. ‘that idiot sensei’s not just playing around.’

          “naruto! get out of there!” sakura’s voice rang out from the bushes. panic laced her shout. “it’s dangerous! you’ll die!”

          naruto barely had time to turn his head.

          kakashi’s voice rang out, triumphant.

          “too late! leaf village secret… ultimate taijutsu!”

          his fingers jabbed forward—fast, ridiculous, and brutally direct toward...

          poke.           somehow, naruto's butthole burned.

          “thousand years of death!”

          “AAGHHHHHHHH!!!”

          naruto flew like a rocket, arms flailing, a scream trailing behind him as he launched through the air and splashed into the shallow stream beyond the trees.

          the clearing went quiet.

          sakura's face was frozen in disbelief. she didn’t speak. just... blinked.

          sasuke exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

          “that idiot… and that idiot sensei.”

then—a soft familiar whisper.

“moshi moshi, sasuke-kun.”

          it slipped through the canopy like a hush wrapped in silk.

  sasuke tensed. a reflex, honed and instant. his shoulders stiffened as his head turned slowly toward the voice—controlled, precise, but with a flicker of surprise behind his eyes.

  and there she was.

  ameiko kocho.

  perched beside him on the same high branch as if she’d always been there. no rustle of leaves. no weight against the bark. just… presence. her arrival hadn’t stirred a sound, like mist drifting into a still room.

  her haori, pale lavender that faded into soft white, fluttered slightly in the breeze, its long sleeves spilling over the branch like unfurled petals. the embroidered butterfly near her collar glimmered faintly. another butterfly, a real one, rested on her shoulder—motionless. trusting. unbothered by the stir of wind or gravity, as if her stillness was its sanctuary.

  sasuke’s brows drew together, his gaze sharp but not unkind. “…what are you doing here?” his voice was quiet. not hostile, just cautious—the kind of tone one might use when facing a flame and trying to decide if it would warm or burn.

          ameiko didn’t meet his gaze yet.her eyes were on the river, where naruto crawled out, soaked and seething, shaking his fist toward kakashi.

          “hmm, so persistent,” she said gently, still looking at naruto. “even water couldn’t drown that fire.” she tilted her head. a lock of hair slipped over her cheek. “but fire like that,” she added, “only knows how to move forward.”

          then, her eyes shifted—slowly—to kakashi, who stood motionless, unreadable behind his little orange book. his presence felt less like a person and more like a pause in the wind.

          “our sensei… he burns different. he dances with the wind. subtle. unreadable.” she let it linger in the silence between them before finally meeting sasuke’s eyes. “with strength like that… do you think you can keep up?”

no challenge. no tease. just a quiet, steady question, folded in stillness.

          sasuke didn’t answer right away. he studied her. her voice wasn’t sharp. her smile wasn’t smug. but her words, it felt like she wasn’t watching the fight. she was reading it.

           “…are you measuring me?” he asked, his voice low but there's no hint of hatred—just guarded.

          ameiko shook her head slowly. “but don’t you think this test isn’t about beating him…” her voice grew softer, more certain, “…but whether we realize why we’re fighting at all?”

          sasuke’s gaze narrowed—not in defiance, but in thought. he looked at her the way someone studies a puzzle, sensing that the picture wasn’t what it first appeared to be.

he was about to answer but then—a flurry of motion.

          naruto’s clones burst from the trees like a storm of shadows. they charged, shouting, every copy of him moving with the same wild fury. he actually managed to get a hold of their teacher.

          sasuke leaned forward slightly, watching closely. “he got him?”

          ameiko smiled, as always. not wide, just present. she hummed once, lightly.

then—poof.

a log hit the grass.

           “substitution,” sasuke frowned.

           from behind the group, kakashi reappeared. the clones turned—confused—and began attacking each other, mistaking friend for fake.

       ameiko stood.her movement was fluid, like the branch released her without protest.

           sasuke’s eyes flicked toward her again. she didn’t look back yet, only spoke with soft finality. “if you want to fight alone… i won’t interfere.”

          then she turned, glancing over her shoulder. “but if you change your mind…” her gaze lingered on him. “…i’m where the noise ends.”

          and then she was gone like wind slipping past a half-open window.

          sasuke stayed where he was, crouched on the branch. he stared at the spot where she’d been.

he didn’t realize it until later—but his fingers had stopped reaching for a weapon.

【𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄】

HIIII! this scene in naruto has two episodes —which is way too long for me to write, so i decided to publish them separately lmao. stay tuned! i’m still debating whether to follow my initial plan or the improvised one for my next update, huhuhu i don't want to disappoint you, guys. but i’ll think about it. <3

also, i don't think i can update tomorrow because i’ll be super busy—preparing my uniform and essentials for college, attending church, and getting some braces. lowkey wanna eat everything before the inability-to-eat-something-freely gets to me. BUT i’ll make sure to update in monday, chap twelve—part two is still under heavy editing.

lastly, i just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for the views, votes, comments and follows. i can't thank you guys enough <3 once again, 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆! 🫀