Chapter 4
Morning. The training ground.
Sitting under a tree, I'm enjoying the warm sun and reading another scroll from the library. You know, the longer I study the shinobi arts, the more it feels like their ninshu and my "onmyodo" barely have any real differences! The distinctions — there basically aren't any. Mostly they're minor, or just little details. It's really just the approach that's different. At least, that's how it seems to me. Both are about controlling energy and shaping it into different forms through techniques, methods, and rituals. The difference is that in my practices, I don't really use chakra — I rely on so-called "spiritual strength," my own spiritual and moral power. Shinobi, on the other hand, use a mix of their physical and spiritual energy. That's the fundamental split — the path you take to develop your abilities. But at the same time, these paths are similar in their core principles, and in a lot of ways they're practically identical. Sealing jutsu and barrier ninjutsu, for example — they line up almost perfectly with making amulets and constructing spiritual barriers.
That gives me some pretty good prospects for future growth. Those sealing techniques, for one...
"Ah, right!" A thought hit me. "Gotta remember to look into shikigami later. I've been wanting to forever, just never got around to it..."
"Hey, hey, Koru-chan?!" A voice cut into my thoughts.
"Kaoru, Naruko-chan. Kaoru," I corrected her, looking up from the scroll. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah! Where's Akashi-sensei?!" the blonde shouted. "We've been sitting here for an hour and she's still not here, dattebane!!! Is she even coming?!"
"Indeed, Nagisa-san," Sakurai picked up. "Sensei is late, even though she ordered us to be here at the crack of dawn. Perhaps you know something? You're her personal apprentice, aren't you?"
"Mm... She'll come, I figure. Sooner or later." I scratched the back of my head. "Honestly, my 'apprenticeship' is just starting today. So I don't really know Akashi-san that well myself. But from what I've heard, she's pretty... unpunctual. Yeah, unpunctual. Either way, we just have to wait."
"Booo, boring!" Naruko declared, flopping onto the grass. "Urr... I'm hungry, tebane! Stupid sensei! Stupid exam!"
"Naruko, calm down and stop being so whiny!" Sakurai tried to soothe her. "Honestly... Nagisa-san, please excuse her — she always acts like a child... You're embarrassing yourself!"
"Uuu!.." The blonde puffed her cheeks out, offended.
"Pff!"
"Ha-ha... You guys are funny." Setting the scroll aside, I slipped my hand into my waist pouch. Now, where was it... Ah, here we go! "Hey, Naruko-chan, want one?"
I hold out an apple to the girl. Wasn't for nothing that I grabbed a couple of these juicy beauties at the market this morning. Like the spirits themselves whispered to me, I swear.
"For me? Really, really?!" Instantly bolting upright, Uzumaki leaned toward me so fast she nearly slammed her head into the tree. Her big blue eyes looked at me with this crazy mix of surprise, excitement, and impatience. Like a puppy that just smelled something delicious.
"Naruko! Sensei strictly told us not to eat breakfast!" Haruno furrowed his brows. "And you, Nagisa-san — you shouldn't indulge her or break the rules!"
Uzumaki shrank back and let out a heavy sigh. She shot a pitiful glance at Sakurai and wilted even more — going from Bouncy Puppy to Sad Puppy.
"Boy, do you have no heart at all?" I wondered. I don't know about him, but for me, that kind of pitiful look is just impossible to resist.
"Don't be so harsh, Haruno-san. What's the harm in one little apple?" I held the treat out to the girl. The blonde eyed the apple in surprise — a timid hope flickered in her eyes. "Here, Naruko-chan! Haruno-san? Uchiha-chan?"
"Pfeh!" Looked like Hedgehog was a no.
"Haaa... I want no part in this!" Haruno declared, folding his arms over his chest, his whole posture screaming that he'd tried his absolute best to talk sense into us — but alas.
Well, whatever. My job was just to offer.
The girl glanced sideways at the pink-haired boy who'd "washed his hands" of the whole thing, and then, with a happy smile, finally took the treat.
"Hooray!! Thank you, Koru-chan, dattebane!"
"Kaoru, Kaoru," I corrected her, though some gut feeling told me she'd forget again.
After thinking for a second, I fished out another apple into the light of Amaterasu-sama and joined the "munching."
Ha-ha! Naruko crunched her apple juicily, really going at it. She did it so expressively that the two holdouts kept sneaking glances at her, their whole act screaming "I don't care." But...
"Uuuurrrrrrr!..." Came a sound from their direction.
They were just as hungry. So why, pray tell, did they refuse?.. Haruno's clear enough — model student, practically a diagnosis. But Uchiha? Pride, maybe?..
"Weird people," I muttered under my breath. Crunch-crunch-crunch…
"Yo, kiddos!" Akashi-sensei sprang out like a jack-in-the-box in all her carefree glory — only several hours later.
"Sensei! You're late!!" Uzumaki and Haruno yelled in stereo, completely wound up from waiting.
"Pffffh!" Hedgehog Uchiha threw in her own contribution to the atmosphere of condemnation.
"Now, now... I just got lost on the road of life, and then a little old granny asked me to help her cross the street..." Akashi offered up the flimsiest excuses, smiling sweetly with her eye. "Alright then, let's get started!"
"Ehh?? Just... Just like that?! What? How?!" Naruko's eyes flew wide open, completely thrown by the sudden topic change.
"Tch!.. She's lying, obviously," Sakurai muttered under his breath, his face twisting indignantly for a second. But that only lasted a moment — then his expression slid right back to worried tension. "Ano... sensei, what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"Well, it's actually pretty simple," Akashi announced, pulling a clock with an alarm literally out of thin air. "Let's set this for noon... done! Ahem! Your task is to take this pair of bells from me." The jonin showed off the aforementioned items, jingling them in front of her. "You've got until midday. Anyone who doesn't get a bell — fails."
The kids tensed up, staring holes through their target. And, as expected, Sakurai was the first to catch on:
"But, Sensei, there are only two bells?.."
"Oh, that's the beauty of it, Sakurai-kun!" The jonin grinned. "That's the main challenge of the test: at most, two of you pass! But don't get your hopes up — I said 'at most'! Which means two genin could pass, or just one, or the whole group might fail! And there's four of you now. Yes, yes, Kaoru-kun, you're in on this too! So you've gotta focus completely on the task. Put everything you've got into winning — every last ounce of effort you can think of, and then some. That's what it means to be a shinobi! Oh, and one more thing: anyone who fails doesn't get the super-delicious, extra-yummy bento I brought with me!"
The thunderous roar of two genin's stomachs — and the quieter grumble of a third — was her answer.
Naruko's Thoughts:
"Bells... bells-bells-bells... there's two... two bells! Yeah, two!! I'm gonna win... I'm gonna... I'll beat... I'm gonna beat Akashi-sensei and give one bell to Sakurai-kun! Then we'll both be shinobi! And that stuck-up Uchiha can go back to the Academy! Yeah!!!"
Sakurai's Thoughts:
"Two bells. Just two. This is a test!!! A test of my resolve and my feelings! I'll get those bells and show Sasuko-chan my best side! I'll give her the bell I get, and then I'll ask her out! And we'll go on missions together — just the two of us!"
Sasuko's Thoughts:
"Pf. How trivial. This'll be easy. I'll use these three as bait and strike when the moment's right. That loud idiot Uzumaki and the slow one Sakurai will be perfect for distracting the sensei. Nagisa's an unknown. Another rival. But if he's even a little more capable than those two... fine, so be it. Mediocrity just irritates me."
Hatake Akashi's Thoughts:
"Yare-yare... this is gonna be fun. Just one last touch..."
Yeah, Akashi really put the kids through the wringer. Look how tensed up they are, turning over their options.
Someone might ask me: if I knew the real point of this test, why didn't I share that with the team? And my answer is: why would I? This isn't happening for no reason. The kids need to learn a lesson. An unfair one — maybe even kinda cruel and unjust — but an important one. Akashi's going to show them, plain as day, that individualism is fine, but you can never forget about your comrades. She's gonna demonstrate that one warrior alone can't win the fight — that sometimes you have to set aside your own interests for the mission. The genin need to get that on their own, with no hints from the outside. So I'm staying out of it.
"So there you have it. Give it everything you've got — don't hesitate to try and kill me, or you won't stand a chance," Akashi smiled at the tense genin. "Oh, don't worry so much. For the first while, I'll only defend, so you can even forget about guarding yourselves."
"But, Sensei, that's dangerous!" Sakurai protested. "We could accidentally hurt you!"
"It's fine, it's fine." Hatake smiled. "Don't worry about that — just hit me with everything you've got. I'm not so weak that I'd get scratched up by a bunch of kids."
"I'm not a kid!.." Naruko shouted, whipping a kunai from her pouch. She lunged into a sprint and...
Made it exactly one step.
"Oya-oya... Where're you off to in such a hurry, you noisy little hurry-bug?" the woman cooed, holding the blonde back with one hand while ruffling her golden hair with the other. "I haven't even said 'start' yet."
Sakurai and Sasuko belatedly scrambled away with startled cries.
What speed! I could barely make out the jonin's silhouette — just a blur. I've still got a long way to go: gotta learn to at least notice that kind of speed, let alone react to it. Need more training. Well, whatever. Right now, I've got a genuine chance to test myself against one of the Leaf's strongest shinobi!
I'd like to say that... But I won't. This is way, way beyond my level right now. I'm not even gonna strain myself — I already know I've got no chance. Whatever comes of this can't even be called training. And I don't have any real trump cards yet that would give me even a sliver of hope.
"Well... Begin!"
"Begin!" Akashi commanded, pushing Naruko away. Immediately, Uchiha and Haruno vanished into the foliage.
"Well now... Increase the distance and go to ground... Not a bad call for a genin," Akashi noted inwardly. "Camouflage matters, sure. But these two..."
"Aren't you two planning to hide?" she asked the "apprentice" who'd been forced on her — and Uzumaki. Running a lazy eye over the kids, the woman immediately clocked the contrast in her "opponents'" moods: Uzumaki, as always, looked ready to burst from sheer excitement, while Nagisa — though keeping it together — still couldn't hide his nerves from her. Older means more level-headed, huh?
"Uzumaki Naruko does not run, and does not hide!" Naruko loudly declared her stance. "We fight!!!"
"With your permission, I'll hold off for now?" Kaoru responded, half question, half statement. Looked like he'd decided to take a wait-and-see approach. Smart move. The Teacher's daughter, on the other hand — not impressing Akashi one bit.
"Haah... Fine." Sighing, Hatake fished her favorite book from the "Icha-Icha" series out of her pouch. "Let's see what you've got, noisy little hurry-bug."
"EHH?? You're not gonna fight?!" Naruko froze mid-step and stared wide-eyed at Akashi. "Why'd you pull out a book?!"
"'Why,' you ask? Because I haven't finished it," the jonin replied lazily, finding the line she'd left off at. Nobody could see it, of course, but under her mask, a mischievous blush crept across Akashi's cheeks. Jiraiya-sensei really is a genius! I could reread her work a hundred times and never get tired of it!.. Oh, there we go! "And then he readied himself to plunge his blade into her burning sheath..." "Don't you worry, hurry-bug-chan. One hand'll be more than enough for you."
And Akashi demonstratively waved her left hand in the air, eyes glued to the page. That kind of disrespect? Naruko couldn't take it! With a battle cry, she threw herself at the sensei. A straightforward, artless blow — casually blocked. But that only wound the blonde up even more. Throwing all caution to the wind, forgetting about defense entirely, she started showering Akashi with a hail of strikes.
"So simple..." Akashi thought absently, deflecting a wild swing with a light finger-poke. "Technique's below average. Annoying as a gnat... And way too loud!"
Akashi could've parried these "attacks" for days without breaking a sweat, but the constant yelling was seriously messing with her concentration on a very spicy scene in the book. So, with a decisive act of will, Hatake snapped it shut — time to deal with the nuisance. On the next attack, she simply vanished.
"Huh?!" Naruko blinked, her target suddenly gone.
"You left your back wide open, blockhead." Sensei's voice came from behind her. "Allow me to demonstrate what happens when you forget to guard — and let an enemy get behind you. Behold!!! The Secret Leaf Taijutsu Technique! ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!!!!"
Hands pressed together — index and middle fingers thrust forward — and!...
THOOMP!!!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Sensei..." Somewhere under a bush, Sakurai pressed his forehead to the dirt. His cheeks flushed bright red, and his hands drifted instinctively toward his own soft spot. "Kami-sama..."
"Two idiots!" The Uchiha sniffed contemptuously. But her muscles — whether she wanted them to or not — clenched for just a second.
"Oh-oh-oh... Just watching that made every sphincter I have clench up!" I shuddered, observing Naruko's brief flight into the little pond.
"Well then... Let's see how the other two are doing," this... terrifying woman practically sang, vanishing in an instant.
I hurried over to Naruko. She'd just surfaced and was crawling out onto the shore.
"Uuuu! My butt, my poor little butt!..." the girl wailed, clutching the afflicted area and rolling on the ground.
"Mm... Naruko-chan, you okay? Alive?" I honestly couldn't think of anything better to ask. Hearing my voice, she stopped her lamenting and, jerking upright, sat up fast. She gasped, squeaked, and grabbed her rear again.
"Uuu... That... That Akashi is totally insane! Ow-ow, it hurts so bad!.." Uzumaki declared, glaring at me with eyes full of rage and hurt. Her wet hair clung to a face red with anger and shame. After all, a very... delicate area took the hit. I think any other girl would be in tears by now. "Arrrrr! Where'd she go?! I'm gonna find her and stick her myself!.. Ow!.. Ah-ta-ta-taaa... Uuuy, you crazy one-eyed pervert..."
"You need help? I know medical jutsu." I showed her my palm glowing faintly green. "I think I can ease the pain in... hm. Well, I can ease the pain."
"I can manage!" The girl stuck her chin up proudly, blushing a shade deeper. Springing to her feet, she thrust her fist toward the sky with feeling. "Uzumaki Naruko is invincible, and no cheap shot's gonna break her! Ow!.." She twitched, grabbing her soft spot again. Looked embarrassed. "Well... and... it barely even hurts anymore... really."
"Oh, hold on a sec!" Mentally scanning my own gear for anything useful, I remembered something. Rummaging through my pouch for a minute, I pulled out a little bag of brownish pills. "Here, take these! Mild painkiller — they taught me how to make 'em at the hospital. Simple and weak, but it kicks in pretty fast."
"Oh, thank you, Koru-chan!!" Naruko brightened, instantly downing the herbal pill and washing it back with water from the same pond.
"Not Koru — Ka-o-ru!"
"Uh-huh!!" Uzumaki flashed a huge grin. "Thanks again, Koru-chan!! I'm all fired up! I'm definitely gonna beat that sneaky pervert-sensei! And I'll get those bells! If I don't, my name's not Uzumaki Naruko, dattebane!!!"
"AAAAAAH!!" A wild scream tore through the forest.
"That was!!!.."
"Hey, wai—!"
"I'm coming, Sakurai-kuuuuuun!!!"
"Yare-yare..." I shook my head, left alone. "Well, I tried. Sort of."
And soon after, the alarm rang.
"A pitiful sight," Akashi stated, standing before us. She looked at us with obvious displeasure, arms folded under her chest, studying each of us in turn. The Uchiha, sitting on the ground, scowled. Uzumaki was drilling holes into Akashi with furious indignation, faintly leaking the Tailed Beast's chakra — a sure sign her mood was anything but sunny. Haruno stood there with the most lost expression, tied to the "failure post," as their sensei had called it. I stood next to him, fidgeting every now and then thanks to the lovely sensations the ropes provided. "Well... I don't think sending you back to the Academy is necessary." The genin perked up a bit. Big mistake — because Hatake's next words hit like a sledgehammer to the skull. With a friendly eye-smile, Akashi said, ever so kindly: "You should all just forget about ever being shinobi!!!"
The genin went rigid. The Uchiha grimaced, her frown deepening — it honestly looked like her famous Mangekyo might spark to life any second and Akashi would be devoured by the black flames of Amaterasu. Haruno, who'd lifted his head, slumped again, lips moving soundlessly. And Uzumaki Naruko wouldn't be herself if she let that pass quietly:
"Forget about being shinobi?! WHAT THE HELL?!" The girl screamed loud enough to startle a flock of birds from the nearest trees. The Tailed Beast's residual aura surged. "Yeah! YEAH! We didn't get your stupid bells, tebane! But why go straight to 'Forget it'?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!!"
"Like I said, you'd best forget about a shinobi career." It was like the whole emotional outburst had just breezed right past her without leaving a scratch. "You're nothing but loud little brats who don't have a clue what real shinobi are. Spoiled, stupid, and clueless. Go home. Play with your toys. Stay out of the adult world."
"THE HELL WE WILL!!!" Looked like Naruko had lost it and just exploded. She lunged at the hated Akashi — and was instantly pinned face-first to the ground.
"This is exactly what I mean: nothing but a small child throwing a tantrum," Akashi stated flatly, planting herself on top of Uzumaki without a shred of ceremony. Does she seriously not feel that, or is she just that sure of herself? Because I can feel it just fine — the sheer fury and hatred pouring off the blonde right now. The Tailed Beast's emanations seeping out of her sent chills marching down my spine. "Idiot. There's no place among shinobi for someone like you. And you — all of you!! Why do you think genin get split into teams in the first place? Has it seriously not clicked yet?! I can see it on your faces — you still don't get it. The real point of today's test."
Akashi took a long pause, dragging a heavy gaze across us.
"What... point?" Uzumaki hissed through clenched teeth.
"Teamwork, you blockheads! Obviously, at your current level, you were never going to beat me. It's just impossible. But if you'd worked as a team — you would've had a chance."
"But, Sensei!" Sakurai came back to life. Pushing through the crushing atmosphere, he loudly voiced the genin's collective outrage: "That's impossible!! How are we supposed to work as a team when there are only two bells?! Even if we'd gotten them, that just means one of us still fails! We would've fought each other over them — teamwork wouldn't have even been on the table!!!"
"Exactly. The whole thing was designed to set you against each other."
"WHAT?!"
"The real goal isn't the bells. The actual objective was to see if you could put your personal ambitions aside and work together to reach the team's goal. And what do I see?! Sakurai! Instead of trying to team up with Naruko, you just ditched her and spent the whole time hovering around Uchiha. Naruko... same thing. Charged a superior opponent head-on, alone, without a single thought. That can't even be called an attack — what did they actually teach you at the Academy, you dunce?! Sasuko! Instead of helping your teammates, you chose to wait for me to pick them off. Used them as bait, didn't you? And you, Nagisa — you did absolutely nothing and just stood on the sidelines the whole test!" I shrug as much as the ropes let me. Why bother making excuses when it's the truth? "You get one point: you gave Naruko first aid. But that's where your achievements end."
The genin stayed silent, crushed, while Akashi kept savoring the dissection of their every move — describing each failure, each mistake, with obvious relish.
"Still... this is a dirty test," I thought, watching Akashi go on and on about duty to the Village, the importance of comradeship, and all the rest. The kids had completely wilted, drowning in hopelessness and the realization of their failure.
"Enough," Hatake cut herself off — once the genin could've been figuratively swept up with a broom and dustpan. That's how thoroughly she'd crushed them. "Since I was in a good mood this morning, I suppose I can cut you some slack. You'll get one more chance to pass. This time — final! If the thought of becoming shinobi is still kicking around in those tiny heads of yours, you can give it a shot. I'm heading off to eat lunch. When I get back, we start immediately. And know this, little ones: this time, no mercy. No slack. I will be merciless, I promise you that!"
Gulp — the genin swallowed, cringing under Hatake's crushingly indifferent stare.
"And as for these bento... I'd hate to just toss 'em. So, fine. You can eat lunch. BUT!" The jonin raised her voice. "No food for the boys! Only the girls eat. Say what you will, but you two at least tried. Unlike them. Anyway — get ready! But if anyone dares to go against my order... even a tiny, itty-bitty piece of food... I'll know. And I'll throw you out. Immediately. No discussion! Both of you! That's all! Rest up!"
With a wave of her hand, Akashi vanished, leaving a thick, oppressive atmosphere behind. The genin traded uncertain glances, utterly demolished by the white-haired woman's words.
Naruko hesitantly untied the ribbon on her lunch box. Uchiha was already digging in, but the blonde just sat there, staring at the food in her chopsticks like she was hypnotizing it. It was obvious she desperately wanted to eat — but the food just wouldn't go down. For a moment, the light in her blue eyes went blank. Then she shook her head sharply. Judging by the focus snapping back into her gaze, she'd made up her mind.
"Here, Sakurai-kun," the girl said, lifting the food to Haruno's face.
"Naruko... what're you...?" the pink-haired boy murmured, stunned. "What're you doing?!"
"Just eat a little? You're hungry," the girl pleaded, but the boy — despite his stomach going wild at the smell — turned his face away.
"Don't be stupid, Naruko! We already failed this test!" Sakurai snapped. "Don't go breaking the rules and making things even worse."
"But!.."
"I. Said. No!" the boy said firmly. "I'm a man, after all. I don't need this. Stop doing dumb stuff, Naruko. I don't need your food! Eat — fast — before Akashi-sensei gets back. Don't make our situation worse with your antics."
"...I see," the blonde said, barely a whisper — completely unlike her — as she lowered her head. "Sorry."
"Man... Haruno, without even realizing it, is digging the team's grave himself. What a dirty test," I thought, disappointed. Akashi. She'd done everything in her power to make sure the genin failed this test — hard. "Dirty. If this keeps going... Looks like I might have to step in after all."
Not that I really wanted to... I mean, taking the field as a shinobi. But that's me. For them, this is basically their whole future. And for Naruko, having all her hopes crushed... that stress could be catastrophic. Although — I doubt they'd permanently shelf the kids if they fail. They're not clanless — except for Sakurai — they're practically shinobi "nobility." A member of the Uchiha clan, and the Uzumaki jinchuriki. No way those two get permanently benched. If Akashi flunks them, they'll probably just try again next year.
Besides, I don't really wanna lose my "foresight." Sure, the info's been warped to some degree, but it's still relevant. Losing an advantage like that would be criminal.
"Well, since Haruno-san turned you down... Maybe you could share a little with me, Naruko-chan?"
"Huh?" Lifting her face, the blonde's eyes went wide with surprise. Uchiha stopped chewing. Haruno snapped his head up so fast he thumped the back of it against the tree. "Koru-chan... really... you'd...?"
"Well, it's like with the apple — a tiny bit can't hurt, right?" I smiled, carefully projecting good cheer. "And for the record: not Koru — Kaoru!"
"Umm... I guess..." Naruko smiled, a little uncertain. "But... you're sure it's okay?"
"Naruko, you're disobeying an order!" Haruno furrowed his brows. "You wanna fail?!"
"But... Sakurai-kun, he's..."
"And you, too, Nagisa-san!" The pink-haired boy kept going. "Can you really be that reckless?! You'd risk your whole shinobi career over one moment of weakness?!"
Hah... If only he knew — I see this "shinobi career" of mine dressed in a white funeral kimono, on top of a funeral pyre! They shoved me into this. Shinobi skills are just what I need to grow and survive. Nothing more.
"But!.. But! Akashi-sensei's being totally unfair, dattebane!" Uzumaki shook her head stubbornly. "And it's really awful... being hungry..."
"Tch! Fine, do whatever you want. But you're gonna get kicked out!" Sakurai said harshly. "Just remember that."
"Umm..." Naruko shot a guilty look at the boy who'd turned away, then finally extended the chopsticks toward me. "It's... here!.."
"Thank you. Itadakimasu!" I obediently open my mouth. Mmm... not bad, even cold. Wonder where Akashi got these bentos? No way I'll ever believe she made them herself — so buying's the only option left. "Thanks, Naruko-chan."
"Oh, it's nothing, heh-heh!" The blonde scratched under her nose, embarrassed, and laughed kind of goofily. "I mean... you gave me apples, too, Koru-kun! Uzumaki Naruko doesn't forget stuff like that, tebane!"
"Not Koru — Kaoru!" I feel like... hasn't this exact thing happened before?..
"Uh-huh!.. Here's some more! C'mon, c'mon, Koru-chan — say 'Aaah!'!" I think my eye just twitched...
"Sasuko-chan?!" Sakurai exclaimed, having been watching us with growing disapproval. The reason? The sullen emo-Hedgehog had scooted closer to him and was now basically mirroring Naruko — just with her own special brand of grimness.
"If you keel over from hunger during the test, you'll be useless," the Uchiha muttered, practically poking the pink-haired boy's cheek with her chopsticks.
"W-wait... MMMmmm?!" Sakurai tried to say something — and instantly paid for it with a mouthful of cold fish and rice, forcibly inserted.
"Chew faster, before sensei gets back! Open. Your mouth," Sasuko ordered in a tone that left zero room for argument. Under the harsh stare of those black eyes, Sakurai had no choice but to comply. By the way, why's he blushing so hard and staring at those poor chopsticks like that?...
Ah, right!!! They're Japanese — well, not actually Japanese, but the mentality here is basically copy-pasted. And there's this whole thing about "indirect" or "implied" kisses. It's when someone touches something with their lips, and then someone else touches that same thing with their lips. And Asians are absolutely obsessed with this concept — like, to the point of total absurdity sometimes. So the boy's currently ascending to nirvana over these little "kisses" with his beloved Uchiha.
But it looks like Sakurai's the only one who cares. Uchiha clearly couldn't give less of a damn. Me, I barely think about it either. And Naruko... is Naruko. She probably just didn't even consider it.
"Wonder what she'd do if I reminded her right now — get all embarrassed, or just laugh it off like an idiot?" I mused, watching the blonde somehow manage to feed me while not missing a single bite herself.
And, naturally, the mood was way too calm and peaceful. It would've been a sin not to wreck it.
"YOUUUUUUU!!!" Akashi erupted right in front of us, instantly cranking the terror to maximum. Chills shot down my spine.
"Ghkk!" D-damn, Naruko almost skewered my throat with those chopsticks!
The blonde shrank back. Sakurai went pale. Uchiha, on the other hand, seemed to darken — scowling even harder.
"You disobeyed an order! You fed them!!! YOU!..." And then — like someone flipped a switch — Akashi transformed from the embodiment of pure horror right back into cheerful, carefree mode. "You passed!!!"
"Eh?.. Eh?! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!!!!!" Naruko gave voice to the collective shock.
"Congratulations!" Hatake beamed the sweetest eye-smile I'd ever seen from her. "Heh-heh!"