I held the edge of the scroll, the dark parchment slid between my fingers. The paper was heavy and rough, scratching against my thumb. I read the names on the scroll, and then I read them again. Names without faces. 
My name was the freshest, the blood only just starting to blacken. (Y/N) (L/N). 
My name was bold, I traced it with my index finger, moving it like I did my thumb. It was an odd scroll. 
A dark color, I'd never seen a scroll as dark as this one. It was almost unnerving. 
"Hey, (Y/N)," Naruto called out, "Huh?" I turned my head over to him, hunched down on the floor, he was relaxing on his bed, his arms underneath his head.
"The sun's almost down, you wanna go out and get something to eat?" He asked, sitting up on his bed. I stretched my arms above my head, giving a small sigh as I kicked my legs out, the scroll rolled to the floor. 
"Sure, why not?" I gave a small shrug, quickly rolling the scroll back up. Naruto jumped down to the floor, looking down at the scroll. "You've been staring at that thing for a while," Naruto began, "Oh, yeah, I guess so." I mumbled, standing up. "Who else's on the scroll?" Naruto asked, tilting his head curiously. I paused, looking back at him,
"No one important." I was lying through my teeth. I don't need to bring up Uncle O right now, I thought, putting my hands behind my back. "Hm. Whatever." Naruto mumbled, he didn't believe a single word I just said. He's good at picking up on things like that. I squinted my eyes at him.
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"Tomorrow, huh....." I gave a long sigh, looking up at the sky. It was already dark, the moon was shining down on us. People were walking around main street left and right. It was a festival after all, but this time it felt more real, more serious.
Naruto and I were sat down at Ichiraku's, I was nervously tapping my foot against the ground, staring down a water glass. Naruto looked over at me with a small frown, "You look pretty nervous. The first fight huh, against that Neji guy." Naruto scratched the top of his head, his spiky hair crunched. 
"Yeah," I nodded, "Opposite of the preliminaries." I added with a small shrug, "You shouldn't worry about it." Naruto slapped a hand down on my shoulder, I looked over at him. He flashed me a grin, 
"I know you can win. You shouldn't doubt yourself!" Naruto nodded, I looked over at him with a smile, his words were comforting, "Well, what about you?" I asked, tilting my head slightly, Kale shifted in his sleep, hanging loosely from my neck. Naruto tapped his chin, "How are you holding up? Think you can take on Shino?" I asked, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"You think Shino's going to win the first round?" Naruto wondered, I nodded.
"Of course, Shino's pretty strong. There's no way that sand village guy Kankuro could win against him!" I said confidently, nodding my head. "Hmm." Naruto shifted uneasily in his chair, I jumped.
"But, of course, Mr. Future Hokage here is going to wipe the floor with Shino! Heh.....heh....." I chuckled nervously, rubbing Naruto's back as I tried to encourage him back.
Silence broke between us. The only sound being the boiling water, Techui was fast to work behind the counter. Ayame, on the other hand was listening to our conversation, leaning over the counter as she wiped it. 
"Well, I haven't seen you two here in a while." Ayame called out, both Naruto and I turned our heads to her, she smiled down at us. 
"Oh, heh!" I smiled back up at her, "I was kinda in the hospital." Naruto said with a wave, "The hospital?" Ayame asked worriedly, I grinned, pointing my thumb over at Naruto. "This guy trained so hard he knocked himself out!" I laughed, 
"I was in the hospital with him, making sure everything was okay." I nodded,
"Well, that's good." Techui added, holding two bowls in his hands. "Ayame?" He called out, "Huh? Oh!" Ayame called out, turning her head around to him, she grabbed the two large bowls. With a smile she stood behind us, placing them down on the counter.
"Here you go!" She said enthusiastically, my eyes widened as I stared down at the gigantic bowl, everything on the menu put into one. "Uh, Mr. Chef?" Naruto called out, looking up at Techui, I looked up as well.
"Just eat it." Techui said with a small sigh, waving his hand. "The final competition is tomorrow, right?"
I looked back down at the steaming bowl, it looked absolutely delicious. "Heh." I smiled,
"Thanks guys!" Me and Naruto shouted out at the same time.

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"Ha! Heheheh!" Choza chuckled heartily, his hand around an empty shot of saki. Choza looked over at Inoichi, his head down on the table. 
"Well, at least with a daughter at home, it's not so bad on the wallet." Choza grinned, slapping the table with his palm, with his other hand he pointed a thumb up at himself. "Most of my money turns into food and then vanishes."
"Quit complaining." Shikaku groaned, giving a long sigh, "You're not the only ones who's got problems." Shikaku pointed his palm upward, his other hand around a bottle of saki. 
"Look, I understand. Daughters are a real drag." Shikaku nodded, slapping a warm hand down on Inoichi's shoulder. "Yeah." Inoichi gave an even longer sigh, closing his eyes as he agreed. "Man, there are times when I really have no idea how to deal with her," Inoichi said, giving a shrug that accidentally knocked Shikaku's hand off.
"I know what ya mean," Shikaku slurred, holding up the bottle as he started to feel light headed. "We dads have it rough."
Shikaku said with a loud groan, Choza turned his head away, taking a peek at the happy hour menu.
"Humph. And you're telling me to quit complaining." Choza growled quietly, his face bright pink. Choza looked up at the bartender, 
"Hey, mister!" Choza shouted out, the bartender looked over at him. "What ya want buddy?" He asked with a smile, Choza held the menu up, a finger slide between two pages.
"These two pages, everything on them!" Choza said with a big grin, as he did, the bartender turns his head around to the door. It slid open with a small thud.
"Welcome!" The bartender rolled his tongue, Shikamaru stood in the door frame, his hands in his pockets as he looked up at Shikaku. Choza pushed a fist up into the air, "Aha! Reinforcements are here!" Choza chuckled, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Come on in, order something!" Choza said with a wave if his hand, holding the menu up for Shikamaru to see. Shikaku turned his head around to Shikamaru as he walked a bit closer. 
Shikamaru gave a long, drawn-out sigh, his shoulders slumping as he turned to his dad. "Hey, dad," Shikamaru put his hands on his hips, "Hugnn?" Shikaku grumbled, wobbling slightly as he looked down at Shikamaru. 
"Come on, can we go home already?" Shikamaru asked, a frown on his face. "What?" Shikaku asked, pointing the tip of the bottle at Shikamaru's chest. "Listen, don't be a drag." Shikaku slurred his words together as he raised the bottle,
"Listen, you're supposed to be living it up at this festival." Shikaku grinned, "Yeah, right, some festival." Shikamaru mumbled, turning his head away. 
"It's a total drag...." Shikamaru sighed, "You idiot." Shikaku grumbled, tipping the bottle back to his lips, he drank straight from it. "Since ancient---" He paused, chugging the warm saki, "mmm, times....." Shikaku breathed out, placing the empty bottle down. 
"The final competition has always been like a festival." Shikaku nodded, Shikamaru sighed, slumping his shoulders.
"I'm in that final competition tomorrow. Aw, man, I don't have time to babysit you." Shikamaru shook his head, crossing his arms. 
"Hm? You're in it? What, seriously?" Shikaku asked with widened eyes, "Tch!" Shikamaru stammered, sighing as he turned his back on him. "Nevermind. Just forget about it."
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I was spread across Naruto's floor, fast asleep. Kale was curled up on my chest, snuggling into the side of my neck. Naruto was laying on his bed, looking down at us, a frown on his face. The alarm clock on his bedside table continued to click away, Naruto slowly blinked. He couldn't fall asleep.
He looked up at the calendar, a big orange circle on tomorrow's date, exclamation points and stars scribbled on with a black marker too. Naruto gave a small sigh, shifting to the other side on the bed, looking out the window.
The stars overhead were shining down on him. Before long it was daytime.

The alarm clock buzzed, Naruto groaned, slamming his hand down on the top. The table underneath creaked as he sat up in his bed. So much for getting a good nights sleep. Naruto thought with a small groan, rubbing his sore eyes. 
Stupid nerves. Naruto turned his head down to the floor, his eyes widened.
I was no where to be seen.
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I was dragging my feet along the dirt road, my hands cupped behind my back. Kale was lively, perched on the top of my head as he looked around, his tongue flickering in and out. 
Right off the bat, I thought, looking down at the ground. In the first match, I have to go up against him. Neji......I bit down on my bottom lip.
I was caught into main street, it was lively. People surrounded me, all walking towards the stadium. I could feel my stomach sink. A man pushed past me, his head turned to his friend, a big smile on his face.
"Hey, did you hear, in the first match it's that (L/N) kid," I heard him breath out my name like a curse, his friend turned to him with a nod. "Yeah, and they're up against Neji Hyuga, number one rookie last year." He grinned,
"Man, this is going to be a good match. Who do you think is gonna win?" He asked his friend, "I don't know......" His voice trailed off as they continued to walk, I clenched my fists.
"Neji Hyuga......" I whispered, looking down at the ground. "Heh...." I nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well, now I'm able to summon a snake! Heh.......yeah.....everything's gonna be....." My voice caught in my throat, I gulped it down. I shook my head,
But all of those guys look like nasty competitors. I clenched my fists, shaking my head, I broke into a dash towards the training grounds.
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Hinata's forehead was on the training post, she was out of breath, leaning on it for support. I stood in the middle of the dirt path, looking at her from the road.
"Hinata?" I called out, "Eek!" Hinata jumped, scurrying behind the training post like a mouse, she peeked her head around the corner. As soon as she saw me, her face flushed, she was starting to turn red.
"O-Oh.....(Y-Y/N)......" She stuttered, holding her hands together as she stood by the post. 
"So......w-why are you here?" Hinata asked, looking down at the ground. "The final competition......." Her voice trailed off, I took a step closer, she shifted nervously. "Oh.....I just." I sighed, scratching the back of my head. 
"It's nothing." I mumbled, looking down as well. What am I even saying? I wondered, digging my heel into the ground.
"Well," I called out, Hinata's head rose. "I came to......" I smiled over at her, her eyes widened. Hinata's face was starting to turn red, she shuffled her hands nervously. 
"Y-You came to?" She asked, I clenched my fists. "O-Oh! No real reason, it doesn't matter anyway!" I shouted, my face was starting to turn pink, I was completely embarrassed.
"Oh....." Hinata looked down at the ground, "I guess you're right." Hinata gave a small nod, "Sorry."
I gulped. "Say, Hinata." I called out, "Huh?" Hinata's head rose, I stuffed my hands in my pockets.
"Neji, he's a cousin of yours, right?" I asked, looking back over at her. "Oh........yeah......" Hinata's voice was soft, she shifted uncomfortably, clinging onto the training post.
"So, is he.....really strong?" My voice turned serious, Hinata's eyes met mine. "Mm." She gave a small sigh, closing her eyes. I looked back down to the ground. "Yeah....." I mumbled,
"B-But! I-I mean, you still might b-be able to win, (Y/N)!" Hinata called out, clenching her fists as her voice raised. 
"Heh!" I laughed nervously, "Yeah. I'm strong too, after all!" I tried to smile, slightly cringing at my giggling. A drop of sweat slipped down the side of my face. 
Hinata moved away from the post. Clasping her hands together, she looked down at them.
"I know you can win, (Y/N)." She said with a nod, "Huh?" My eyes widened as I looked back over to her, she tapped her fingers together.
"Remember......Remember that time you cheered for me?" Hinata took a step closer to me, "I-I felt like.....like I was able to become stronger than ever before." Hinata blushed as she looked up at me. The second time our eyes met, the stare lasted. "When the preliminaries ended, I was finally......finally able to like my self.....a little." Hinata voice was small, I smiled over to her. 
"To anybody else, it might look like I absolutely nothing has changed about me......" Hinata began, "But......I feel different." Hinata's voice pitched, "Like I'm a better person now. A-And I've been thinking........" Hinata paused, a smile catching her lips. "I've been thinking that it was all thanks to you, (Y/N)."
"Hinata....." I called out, looking down at the ground, her eyes widened. "You really....." I paused, taken back by her words. "Do you really believe that's true?" I asked her, Hinata raised her hand to her chest. "Huh?" She whispered,
I gritted my teeth. "I may look strong to you......but all I ever do is mess things up!" I shouted, shaking my head.
"I act tough because I'm so frustrated. I just feel like I'm a huge failure....." I kept my head down, Hinata gasped.
"No! That's not true!" Hinata shouted, I jumped slightly at her loud voice. I looked up at her with wide eyes, she clenched her fists, shaking her head. 
"Even when you messed up, you always found a way to fix it." Hinata smiled at me, I was at a loss for words. 
"When I look at you....you fill me with such....such admiration." Hinata looked down at her feet, "I'm not saying you're perfect. N-No one is......but when you do make a mistake, you have the guts to pick yourself up and keep trying. I think that courage, to keep going no matter what, is what real strength is. I just think.....I think that you're an incredibly strong person, (Y/N)......"
Hinata nodded, taking another small step forward. "Heh." I smiled to her, "Thanks Hinata, I needed that." I nodded, Hinata's eyes widened. 
"I guess this time I was really feeling the strain." I said with a nod, putting my hands on my hips.
"I was really down, which is totally uncool. It's not like me at all. But I feel a hundred percent better now!" I shouted, punching my fists up into the air. Hinata gasped, smiling widely as she clapped her hands together. "I'm glad you do!" Hinata said sweetly, I smiled back to her.
"All right, I'm off to the match." I nodded, turning away from her. "Thanks again!" I waved, starting to walk away, but I stopped, by back facing her. "Huh?" Hinata wondered, staring at my back. 
"Hinata." I called out, her eyes widened. "I kinda thought you were, um," I paused, Hinata held her breath as she stared at me, her heart skipping beats. What? What? She thought, her face turning redder.
"Gloomy, timid, always terrified, and basically completely weird." I said with a small chuckle, Hinata hung her head down.
"Oh...." She mumbled, "But, y'know what?" I continued, starting to walk away again.
"I actually like----" I paused, Hinata shot her head up, eyes sparkling, "-----people like you!" I waved, rushing down the dirt path.
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I stood in front the stadiums gates.
I could hear the people inside, shouting and laughing, cheering and screaming. All clumped together in the stands overhead, roaring as they waited for the matches to begin. 
I gulped, clenching my fists tight as I walked through the gate. As soon as I entered, and uproar of screams and shouts echoed around me. My eyes widened as I looked up into the stands.
People were together in large clusters, moving like waves as they cheered. Men, women, children, it looked like everyone in the village was there. I twisted my head around, looking up at them all as I walked through the stadium, towards the middle. 
Shikamaru turned to me, his hands in his pockets. "You just barely made it." Shikamaru said with a small scoff, his voice called me back to reality. "There's......so many...." I was at a loss for words, completely shocked as I stood in line next to him. 
I looked to the others, counting them off by their faces. Shikamaru, I rose a finger, counting on my hands. Temari, Kankuro. Three fingers, Gaara, Neji, Shino......I stopped, tapping my chin. Where the heck is Naruto? And what about that creep Sasuke.....I paused as I thought of him. "Tch." I clicked my tongue, crossing my arms. Sasuke better get here, he made a promise. I looked down at the ground, thinking back to the hospital room.
He promised. I reassured myself with a nod, looking up at the sky as I thought back on it.

I crossed my arms. This is disappointing, I thought with a frown. I thought the hidden leaf Anbu would be a bit better than this, I thought, shaking my head as I sneaked across the hospital's wall, landing on the eighth story balcony, looking at the window leading to Sasuke's room.
I shook my head as I looked to it, holding the bundle of wild flowers close to my chest. I don't even know why I'm here, I thought with a small huff. Sasuke's just a lame creep, I didn't need to get him these. I looked down at the flowers, my face starting to heat up. I clicked my tongue, silently opening the window, I crept into Sasuke's hotel room.
It was pitch black as I closed the window behind me. Thick black drapes hung over the windows, smothering any light that tried to sneak in. A hospital room is usually dreary enough as it is, but having it as dark as a cave? I thought, walking a bit more into the room. It's horrible. I shook my head, squinting my eyes as I cautiously walked through the dark.
I tiptoed across the room, my eyes slowly starting to adjust to the dark as I made my way over to the bed. 
The room was completely quiet, an unnerving kind of quiet. It sent chills down my back, it felt like at any moment something might pop out from the darkness.
I stood by the bed. I could partially make out a figure lying on the mattress. It was still, unmoving. The blanket looked bundled up, almost like it was tied together. I furrowed my brow, kneeling down to the bedside table. 
An empty flower vase stood on top of the night stand, I slid the flowers into the dry bowl, wishing I had some water to put into the bottom. They're going to dry out quick, I thought with a frown. Great, another reason to visit. "Tch." I clicked my tongue, the hollow sound echoing around the room.
I turned my head back to the bed, looking at the bundle of sheets. It didn't seem right. I bit down on my bottom lip, scooting a bit closer to the side of the bed, taking little half steps closer, I reached my hand out to it. My hand floated over the bundle, I slowly started to lower it, about to pick the cover up.
"What are you doing?" A voice echoed out from behind me, I jumped, slapping a hand over my mouth as I held back a shriek. I shot up to my feet, furiously turning around on my heel. I could barely make out Sasuke's figure in the dark. I sternly put my hands on my hips, squinting my eyes down at him.
"And what are you doing sitting around in this darkness?" I asked, stomping my foot down on the ground. Sasuke titled his head slightly. "Geeze, only you Sasuke could find a way to turn something as horrible as a hospital room into something worse." I shook my head, brushing past him as I made my way back to the window.
I grabbed onto the curtain, quickly pulling it to the side. Light poured into the room, I gave a small sigh of relief. Sasuke winced, holding an arm over his eyes as the blinding light consumed the darkness. 
"It's such a nice day today, I don't know how you could just cancel it out like that." I said with a small smile, putting my hands on my hips as I looked up at the sky. It was a crystal clear day, not a single cloud in the sky. The sun was beating down on Konoha. A small breeze whisking through the trees, mellow green grass rustling together, and sparkling blue waters.
It was a perfect day. "You seem fine enough to get out, why don't you come outside and------" I paused, turning my head around to him. 
Sasuke stood there, shirtless with his hands on his hips, he looked over at me with a small smile on his face. I gritted my teeth. "Put some clothes on you creep!" I screamed at him, clenching my fists as I snapped my head back around, turning back around to the window to hide my flushed face.
Sasuke shrugged turning away from me has he walked back to the bed. "You don't have to shout so much." Sasuke mumbled, pulling on his usual blue top. I crossed my arms, eyeing him angrily. 
"You weren't wrong about me being fine enough to go outside." He called out, walking back to the wardrobe. My eyes widened as I looked back at the bed. A bag sat on top of it, next to a bundled up blanket. He was packing.
"And where exactly are you going?" I asked suspiciously, raising my brow as I looked over at him. Sasuke closed the bag up, giving me a small sigh as he sat down on the corner of the bed.
"Well?" I asked again, this time with a more pitched tone. "I'm leaving to go train." Sasuke finally said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I suggest you do the same. The final competition isn't going to be as easy as the last round." Sasuke stood up from the bed, his back turned to me. 
"Yeah. I figured that." I mumbled, crossing my arms. "You brought me flowers?" He wondered, looking back at the bedside table. I clicked my tongue, "Yeah, so what? I thought you were still healing up." I turned my head away from him, Sasuke looked back over at me. I let out a small sigh, Sasuke sat back down on the bed next to me.
"You're worried about something." Sasuke called out, I turned my head over to him. I shot up to my feet, shaking my head. 
"Just....." I paused, "Just don't do something stupid." I called out, Sasuke stood up next to me. "Is that all?" He asked, turning towards the hospital rooms door.
"Promise you'll come back?" I asked, looking down at the ground. Sasuke turned to me, taking a step closer. "(Y/N)." He called my name, I looked up at him. 
"Promise." Sasuke tapped my forehead with his two fingers, I flinched, squinting my eyes. Sasuke turned away from me, walking back towards the front door. I touched the middle of my forehead with a smile.

 That idiot. I thought, giving a small sigh. "You better come back......" I mumbled, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

To be continued.........................