Team Tragedy - Chapter 1

Team Tragedy
A Naruto Fanfiction
By: Jessica Foltz
Edited and occasionally co-authored by: Erik Stephens (e_delta88)

Chapter 1
Graduation




* * * * * * * * *
Six Years Later
* * * * * * * * *


"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, NARUTO!!"

Sasuke, one of the many academy students in Iruka sensei's class, couldn't help but smirk when he heard a familiar voice yell at the "loser" of the class. Of course, he didn't particularly like either one. Naruto wasn't worth his time or effort, the Hatake girl however...she posed a problem for him.


- - - - - - - -
Flashback
- - - - - - - -


"We have a student switching into our class today," Iruka announced to his class as he looked at everyone. "She will be with us from now until she graduates."

Hearing this information didn't seem to sit well with a particular raven-haired boy in the class. His ebony eyes showing signs of slight irritation as his expression remained blank of any emotion.

Great... Sasuke thought as he sat at his desk. Another fangirl I'll have to avoid...

Iruka turned his attention to the entrance to the classroom. "You can come in, now," he called.

The door slid open and Len slowly stepped into the classroom. The moment Len walked into the classroom, whispers began to flood the area. Even Sasuke couldn't miss it.

They had all heard about that tragic night a few days ago. The Hatake clan residency burning to the ground in a blaze. The culprit hadn’t been named, but it was clear that she was a member of the clan. The only part that threw them off would have been the hair. Blonde hair so light, it could be mistaken for the traditional silvery hair of the Hatake clan if you didn’t pay close enough attention to see the extremely light blonde of it. She wore a purple tank top with black shorts and black open toe sandals. Her long platinum blonde hair hung off her right shoulder in a loose braid. Her eyes a deep, navy blue. Her skin only slightly tanned.

"Hey, Len~!" Naruto called as he stood up, smiling at her. "Finally got out of the hospital, huh? You looked pretty bad there for a while. Good to see you're able to get back to the academy."

Len smiled up at the spiky blond, but the moment she went to talk, Sasuke beat her to the punch. "Will you shut up, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded. "I swear, every time you open your mouth, I get a headache."

Len closed her mouth abruptly as she glared up at Sasuke. Her left foot shifted to step behind her and she jumped into the air. Within less than a second, Len landed on Sasuke's desk space. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and tossing Sasuke across the room just as quickly as it took her to reach him. Sasuke's back smacked against the far wall on the east side of the classroom. Making the entire classroom gasp in shock as they looked at Sasuke crumpled on the floor. The raven-haired boy gasping for air due to the wind being taken out of him.

"Anyone who picks on Naruto, or treats him poorly, will have to answer to me!" Len said through gritted teeth as she glared at Sasuke. "None of you know anything about what he has done, or what he has gone through. So I suggest you all watch yourselves. If I so much as hear a whisper of a negative comment about or to my friend, I will rip your eyes out and feed them to you as an iced sorbet."

The entire room was silent as all of the students -- except for Naruto -- stared at the platinum blonde Hatake with wide eyes. Iruka sensei was a little horrified, as well, however, he was the one who broke the silence.

"Okay, Len," Iruka sensei began, "I'm sure there's no reason for such extremes. If your finished terrorizing everyone, take your seat so the class can begin."

Len stared at the sensei for a few minutes before she walked along the desk row and jumped down into the aisle. She then walked over to the row Naruto was sitting at and sat down next to him. She gave Naruto a smile. "Hey, Naruto. Good to see you, again."

Naruto flashed Len a smile. "Likewise~"

Sasuke picked himself up off the floor and glared over at the new student that had just tossed him like a rag doll across the room. One of the top of his class, and he was shown up by a kunoichi. Of course he was caught off guard, but everyone would see that as an excuse rather than a reason...except for his annoying fangirls. They would believe him on it. However that didn't do anything to help his pride.

Sasuke slowly returned to his seat and Iruka sensei began the class.


* * *


At the end of the day, when classes were released, Sasuke was making his way back to his new home he had acquired after his older brother murdered their whole clan. His thoughts lingering on everything that had happened in class.

Len matched him on everything. When they were handed out worksheets about the lesson to fill out, Len and Sasuke finished at the exact same time. When they got around to learning the new basic jutsu, both him and Len performed the jutsu flawlessly. When they practiced gripping and throwing shuriken, they had ended up with the exact same score. When they had the sparring matches at the end of the day, Len and Sasuke were paired to fight each other, and they both knocked each other out at the exact same time, making neither the victor to the match.

This had never happened before. Sure, Sakura was slowly making her way to becoming a top student, but her grades were still a few points under his. The simple fact that there was a student who was his equal was irritating him more than it should have. Normally, he wouldn't care, and he probably wouldn't have if Len hadn't of knocked him out in the spar. The fact that she had meant that he wasn't strong enough. He always thought he was getting a step closer when he fought against anyone else in the spar, because none of them were able to keep him down. With Len, though, he felt weak. He felt that he wasn't going to be able to kill his brother with her knocking him out.

Sure, the fight had ended in a tie. He had knocked out Len in the process, but it still wasn't enough. He had to get stronger. He needed to get stronger. To allow a kunoichi to beat him was unacceptable.

"Hey!" Sasuke heard someone shout as he stopped and turned his head to look and see who it was. Seeing Len surrounded by a few boys from the academy. Obviously the person who had yelled was Len, seeing as how one of the boys had a hold of her by her hair.

"What's with the long hair?" one of the boys asked in a snide voice.

"Are you looking to try to impress Sasuke?" another boy asked. "Are you another 'Sasuke fangirl'?"

"Why would I be a fan of that jerk?!" Len demanded harshly. "Now let go of my hair!!"

"Oh? Looks like we struck a nerve," the third boy said.

"If you don't let go of my hair, I swear I'll break your arms!" Len shouted. Glaring at the boy who held her hair captive.

"Hey!" Sasuke called, getting Len's and the three boys attention. "Will you shut up and leave, already?"

The three boys stared at Sasuke in surprise as the one who had a hold of Len's hair released her. "Oh, no! It's Sasuke!" one of the boys whispered.

"What are we gonna do?" asked another.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do!" the third one hissed. Obviously the brains of the group. "We're gonna get outta here, that's what!

"Run!" the third boy shouted as they all ran away from Len and Sasuke.

Len watched as the three boys ran off before she looked back over to Sasuke. Sasuke closed his eyes as he let out a small sigh. Len slowly made her way over to him, which caused the raven haired boy to look back at her. Once she reached him, her navy blue eyes glanced away from him as her expression seemed polite.

"Thanks for the help, Sasuke," Len said as she stood there. She may not have liked him for what he had done to Naruto, but he did help her, so there was no real harm in trying to be polite just this once.

"I didn't do it for you," Sasuke informed her. Making Len look back up at him. "Those guys were giving me a headache."

Len glared up at him. "I was trying to be polite, you jerk!" Len yelled before she swiftly brought her foot forward and kicked him in the shin. Sasuke's eyes widened at the pain before he quickly knelt down and held his leg as he closed his eyes tightly. "Can't you ever just take it and run with it?! Do you have to be so rude all the time?! How can all of those girls like you when you're always such an ass?!"

With that, Len spun on her heels and walked away. Leaving Sasuke to his aching leg and him making sure it wasn't broken. He glared after Len as he slowly rose back to his feet. Ignoring the slight sting that remained from her kick.


- - - - - - - - - - - - -
End of Flashback
- - - - - - - - - - - - -


Sasuke opened his eyes to see Len dragging Naruto into the classroom by his collar. Her expression less than pleased. The girl who was different from the others he had to deal with. Even though he looked at her as his rival...he couldn't help but be around her. It gave him less of a headache that way. They of course still argued, but that was better than having to listen to his squealing fangirls who'd constantly swarm around him.

"We are close to graduating, and you decide to attempt to deface the Hokage Faces!!" Len continued to shout as she dragged Naruto to their usual seats and threw him into his chair. "Honestly, Naruto! Now is not the time to pull pranks! We need to be at the top of our game if we want to graduate!!"

"And I've been training, Len," Naruto assured her. "Believe it! This year I'll graduate for sure!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's response. His "Believe it!" catchphrase was beginning to get real old, real quick. Len even appeared to be annoyed by it. The platinum blonde closed her eyes as she sighed heavily. Pinching the bridge of her nose. "You better if you think you can attempt to slack off," she grumbled.

How Len could tolerate Naruto, no one knew...well, except for Len and Naruto, that is. Apparently, a rumor spread that Naruto actually saved her life. Because of this, Len apparently felt indebted to Naruto, and thus she called him her "friend", and helped stop everyone from bullying the knuckle-head. Of course, almost as quickly as the bullying started for Len, Naruto stepped up and began to defend her. Sasuke had only done it, once. And once was enough. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't allow anyone to pick on Len if he heard about it.

Over time, though, the male populous of the academy--minus Naruto and Sasuke--all seemed to stop picking on Len and started to develop a crush for her. The male students becoming her "fanboys", just as most of the female students were Sasuke's "fangirls".

Sasuke, ignoring the particular fangirls in question who were all hovering over him, rose to his feet and walked over to Len and Naruto. Causing all of the fangirls, including Sakura and Ino, to stare after him. Completely confused as to why he had gotten up in the first place when he would usually just sit there.

"Uzumaki getting on your nerves, yet?" Sasuke teased as he stood there at the other side of the row Naruto and Len were at. His hands in his pockets.

Len switched her attention to the raven-haired boy across from her. "Not really," she answered coolly, "but to say he doesn't frustrate me, at times, would be a lie."

"Um...Len," Kiba called to her. Making her turn her head to see the beast tamer standing in front of one of the many windows. Kiba pointed a finger out the window. "I thought you stopped Naruto from painting on the Hokage Faces..."

Len gave the pre-teen a quizzical look as she walked over to him. "I did..." she trailed off. "He was carrying the bucket of paint on his way to the monument when I grabbed him." She looked out the window at the monument and her eyes widened. Sure enough, the monument had been graffitied on. How Naruto had managed it, no one really knew. They all knew he did it. They just didn't have any proof that he had done it. Len had given him the perfect alibi by dragging him back to the academy before he could.

Sasuke walked up behind Len to look at the defaced monument as Len shook and trembled with rage over the idea that she wasn't able to stop Naruto. After a few seconds of looking at the monument, Sasuke leaned in to the outraged girl.

"You sure he hasn't gotten on your nerves, yet?" Sasuke asked in a mumble into her ear.

"NARUTO!!" Len's yell made Sasuke lurch back as Kiba took a step away from her. Len glared over at Naruto. The obnoxious blond shivered as he looked at her enraged expression.

"What?" Naruto asked in a slightly high pitched voice. Sounding a little terrified.

"How?!" Len demanded through clenched teeth. Pointing a finger towards the monument.

"I didn't do it!" Naruto protested. "You dragged me to class before I could."

"Loser," Sasuke said under his breath.

Without breaking her gaze from Naruto, Len reached out and grabbed a handful of Sasuke's hair before she slammed his face into the wall in between two of the said windows in question.

"If I wanted help from the peanut gallery, I would have asked for it, Uchiha!!" Len grumbled. Keeping his face plastered to the wall as she glared at her best friend.

This of course caused hoots from all of Len's fanboys, and screeching shouts of anger from Sasuke's fangirls. Sasuke slowly tried to push himself away from the wall as he glared at Len from the corner of his eye.

"You little.." Sasuke growled as blood ran down his face from his nose.

Len forcefully slammed Sasuke's face back into the wall. Making more cheers from Len's fanboys fill the room at the same time Sasuke's fangirls shouted at Len for doing such a thing to Sasuke. "Do a favor for all of us, Uchiha, and just shut up," Len ordered. "You'll save yourself the trouble of losing all the time if you do."

"You're the one who will lose, Len!" Ino shouted in outrage.

"In your dreams, Ino," Kiba called to the blonde-in-purple. "Len always wins."

"Alright, class. Take your seats," Iruka sensei ordered as he walked in. His eyes fell on Len pinning Sasuke's face to the wall and he gave them a droll stare. "Len can you please stop pinning Sasuke to the wall and take your seat?"

"Yes, sensei," Len said as she let go of Sasuke's hair and walked back to the row of desks Naruto was sitting at. Taking her seat at the desk in the middle of the row. Naruto sitting to her left.

Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall. Holding his nose as he walked over to the same row as Len. Taking the only open seat in her row. Making all of Len's fanboys and Sasuke's fangirls complain that they couldn't sit next to either one.

Iruka sensei walked over and gave Sasuke a box of tissues for his bloody nose as everyone slowly sat down in their seats. The lesson was one everyone--especially Naruto--knew already, but since the graduation test was tomorrow, they were reviewing the Transformation Jutsu. Nothing too over the top. Everyone had to transform into anything they wanted, so long as it looked like the person they were transforming into.

Most of the class, including Sasuke and Sakura, transformed into Iruka sensei. Naruto even followed their example and transformed into Iruka sensei's likeness, not wanting Len to get even more angry with him over his pranks he liked to occasionally pull. When it was Len's turn, however, she didn't follow the norm of the rest of the class.

Her transformation turned into a man of average height and weight with a slightly muscular build. With bright green eyes and short silver hair. Wearing an Anbu Black Ops uniform, minus the mask. Iruka had a picture to compare her transformation with, but even Iruka did not know who it was, exactly, that Len had transformed into. Judging from the picture she gave him, it was obviously a member of her family, but he didn't know how immediate the person in the picture was.

After a minute, Len changed back into her original platinum blonde, four-foot-ten appearance. Wearing her chainmail shirt under her navy blue kimono-style sleeveless shirt that wrapped around her neck and showed off her upper back if the chainmail wasn't blocking their view. She also wore chainmail sleeves that went from her wrists to her elbows, black shorts, and the usual open-toed navy blue sandals.

"Great job, Len," Iruka sensei said as he looked at her. "Your transformation was perfect. Although, might I ask you something?"

“It was my older brother,” she answered before she walked over to him and took the picture from him. As if she knew the question he was going to ask. “Back when he was still around.” She then turned and made her way towards her seat.

“Oh...I see…” Iruka sensei trailed off as he watched her continue on her way. “Well, time for the next part of today’s class!” He grabbed worksheets and proceeded to pass them out to the classmates.


* * *


“Why does Iruka sensei always seem to pair us in the sparring matches?” Sasuke questioned as he walked with Len and Naruto out of the academy.

“Probably because he knews that doing so will help us to improve,” Len guessed. “And it’s not ‘all the time’, Uchiha.”

“Name one time in the recent past that we haven’t spared.” Sasuke demanded. Giving Len a look of annoyance.

“Two days ago,” Len answered. “I was paired with Ami for the spar. And the day before that, I was paired with Ino in the spar. Two days before that, I was paired with Shino…” Len returned her gaze to Sasuke as she gave him a side glance. “Need I go on?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Hatake.”

“Did you two tie, again, in the spar?” a voice called out to them. Causing the three Academy students to turn their heads to the newcomer of their conversations.

A boy with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes stood in front of him. He had tan skin, a nicely toned body, and wore a tight green T-shirt with baggy black pants and open toed black sandals. His shuriken holster was on his left leg, and on his brow was the Leaf Village headband. He had one hand on his hip as he smirked at the three academy students in front of him.

Len smiled as she looked at the boy in front of them before she rushed over to him and threw her arms around him. “Axl~” she said happily as she hugged him.

Axl chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head. “Happy to see me?” he inquired sarcastically as he smirked down at her.

Len looked up at him as she smiled. “Of course I did!” she responded. “I haven’t seen you since you went on your mission. How did it go?”

“It was fine,” Axl informed her. Releasing her from his embrace as he did so. “A circus wanted my team to catch a saber-tooth tiger for them. It was difficult, but we managed to get it done and bring them the creature.”

“Sounds like fun,” Sasuke commented as he listened to Axl’s explanation.

“I still don’t like that guy…” Naruto mumbled under his breath as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his orange pants.

“Neither do I but we have no say in who she loves, Uzumaki,” Sasuke mumbled back as he rolled his eyes. In his thoughts replacing “Uzumaki” with “loser”. Knowing full well that if he said such a thing out loud, Len would pummel him like she always did.

“Well, why don’t we hang out for the day?” Axl inquired as he looked at everyone. “I’m not going to get another mission until tomorrow. We can always go to the training grounds and train for a while.”

“Sounds good to me,” Len responded as she nodded. Taking Axl’s hand in hers.

“Sounds great,” Sasuke chimed in.

Naruto grumbled some incoherent words before he nodded his head. “Let’s do it.”


- - - - - - - -
Flashback
- - - - - - - -
* * * * * * * * *
Months Earlier
* * * * * * * * *


Len walked through the streets of Konoha. On her way home after a long day at the academy. The village was still rather lively considering the time it was. Everyone getting their last minute shopping done before the sun would set. It wasn’t quite as loud or as busy as it usually was in the morning to afternoon, but it certainly had a din that carried throughout the village. The setting sun gave the village a orange tint as it illuminated the village for the last few hours it had left. The smells of various types of dinners being cooked and served at home and in restaurants filled the air with delectant aromas that could make anyone’s stomach grumble.

As Len walked, she did not notice the a small group of three was walking towards her. Or rather, she didn’t notice one of them. One of the boys concealed his chakra enough for Len to be unable to sense his. Giving off the impression--to her--that there was a gap between the other two for her to pass right by them without bumping into anyone. It wasn’t until she had bumped into the boy in the middle that she realized just how wrong her assumption was.

Len stumbled back a bit when she ran right into the very boy in question. Causing the boy to quickly grab her wrist to stop her from falling and look at her with concern.

“I’m sorry,” the boy quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to run into you. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going.”

Len blinked as she looked at the blond-haired pretty boy in front of her as she blushed a little. “It’s fine. It was partly my fault, as well. I wasn’t paying much attention, either. I was concentrating on my ability to sense other people’s chakra. I wasn’t expecting to find someone concealing theirs.”

“Oh?” the boy asked as he let go of Len’s wrist. “Are you training to be a ninja?”

Len nodded. “As a matter of fact, I am. I’ve been training ever since I was little.”

“Well then, I hope you graduate the academy,” the boy said with a dashing smile. “What’s your name?”

“M-my name?” Len stuttered as she looked at the boy with questioning eyes. “...I’m Hatake Len.”

“I’m Ishida Axl,” the boy introduced. “I’m a genin in Kugiri’s Squad.” He gestured to the guy to his left to specify who he was talking about. “If you want, you can train with us sometime. It might help you to improve so you’ll be able to graduate.”

Len smiled as she looked at Axl. “I’d like that,” she agreed. “It would help me to improve if I train with others who are more experienced than I am. Can my friend Naruto come along, too?” she added. “He needs a lot of improvement.”

Axl sweatdropped as he gave a bit of an awkward chuckle. “S-sure,” he stuttered. “I don’t see a problem with that, at all. The more the merrier.”

“Great!” Len said happily. “How about we train tomorrow if you’re not too busy?”

Axl nodded. “I’m sure we’ll be done with our missions by the time you’d be out of the academy tomorrow.”

“Alright, then,” Len replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow after classes, then.”

With that, she stepped around the small group of genin and rushed off towards her house. Excited for the next day. As the three genin watched the young Hatake girl race off, Kugiri turned his gaze to Axl. His brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze.

“Is that the girl you had been telling us would be your next point of interest, Axl?” Kugiri asked his teammate as they stood there in the middle of the street.

“Yes,” Axl said with slight amusement. “Yes she is.”

“It disgusts me the way you toy with girls, Axl,” the kunoichi of their squad chimed in as she placed a hand on her hip. Giving Axl a droll stare. “One of these days you’re going to end up picking the wrong girl to break their heart if they don’t live up to your expectations.”

“Says the girl who can’t even get a date, Tifa,” Axl shot back as he turned his gaze to the female of his team. “It’s nothing personal. I just want to live the high-life when I retire.”

Tifa and Kugiri both shook their heads as they listened to their teammate’s reasoning before they all began walking down the street, once more. Axl determined to win Len’s heart.


- - - - - - - - - - - - -
End of Flashback
- - - - - - - - - - - - -


* * *


“Next up for the graduation test: Inuzuka Kiba,” Iruka sensei called out from the doorway of the classroom. Len walking back into the very classroom with confidence as Kiba rose from his seat to follow Iruka into the testing room.

When Len reached her row, she sat down in her seat and smiled over at Naruto. “I passed,” she announced. Holding up her Leaf Village headband as evidence in her right hand.

“Awesome, Len!” Naruto exclaimed. “I knew you would pass! Believe it!”

Len leaned over the desk to look around Naruto at the raven-haired boy sitting on the other side of Naruto. Cocking an eyebrow as she smirked. “Did you pass, Uchiha?”

Sasuke scoffed before he held up his headband. “Of course I did,” he answered matter-of-factly.

Len blinked as she looked at Sasuke. “You know...it’s weird that Mizuki sensei wasn’t in the testing room to help decide whether the students pass the graduation exam or not,” she noted. “He was here at the academy just the other day, wasn’t he?”

“He was probably given a mission or was sick, today,” Naruto guessed as he leaned back in his seat. Bringing his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. Looking rather calm, all things considered. “Don’t read too much into it.”

“If you say so, Naruto,” Len replied as she leaned back in her chair. “You’re probably right, anyway.”

“Next up for the graduation test: Uzumaki Naruto,” Iruka sensei called as Kiba walked back into the classroom.

“Well, I’m up,” Naruto said as he stood up from his seat. “Wish me luck, Len.” He added as he hopped over her and rushed over to Iruka sensei to follow him to the testing room.

Len rolled her eyes as she smirked. “Good luck, Naruto,” she said as she sat there.

Sasuke simply continued to sit there. His eyes closed as he kept his hands folded over his mouth. His elbows resting on the desk. Continuing to sit there and look “cool”.


- - -


“Alright, Naruto,” Iruka sensei began as he took his seat at the desk with the other two exam proctors. “We’re ready when you are.”

Naruto smirked before he brought his hands together to form the necessary hand sign for the jutsu he was about to perform. Closing his eyes as he focused his chakra. After a few minutes, he called out, “Clone Jutsu!” A cloud of smoke filled the room for a moment before it dissipated. Revealing three perfect clones standing around him.

Iruka sensei smiled as he looked at the young shinobi-in-training standing before him. For the past few years, Naruto could never seem to pass this test. The Clone Jutsu having been his worst jutsu to perform to the proctors. Although, with the way how he had improved since his friendship with Len started, it was up for debate whether it was actually his worst jutsu, or if he was just simply holding himself back so he could graduate with Len. Either way, Naruto had now given no reason as to why Iruka sensei shouldn’t pass him. The clones he made were perfect replicas of himself. There wasn’t a single flaw in any of the three clones he had created. And must like the other students, he had created three clones, where before he had barely created one.

Iruka sensei looked back and forth between the other two proctors of the exam as he smiled. “I don’t see a reason at all why he shouldn’t pass, this time, do you?” he inquired.

The other two proctors shook their heads as they sat there. Their expressions shown their dislike in the idea of allowing Naruto to actually graduate, but they even knew that they couldn’t stop him, at this point. He did the exact same talent as the other students. Possibly better with how real the clones looked. They had nothing to say that would be a logical enough reason to hold him back without blatantly stating what he was and break the law of the Third Hokage. Not hearing any objection from the other two proctors, Iruka sensei grabbed a headband off of the table and held it out to Naruto.

“Congratulations, Naruto,” Iruka sensei told him. “You graduate.”

“YEAH~!” The four Narutos shouted as they all sprang into the air. Throwing their fist up above their head before the three clones disappeared and the real Naruto landed on his feet. He rushed over to Iruka sensei and took the headband from him. “Thanks Iruka sensei!” he quickly added.

“You’re welcome, Naruto,” Iruka sensei said proudly before rising to his feet. “Let’s head back to the classroom. I need to get the next testee.”

Naruto nodded before he followed Iruka sensei out of the exam room and off to the classroom. Once they had returned, Naruto made his way to his seat as Iruka sensei called out the next student to take the exam.

“Well?” Len inquired as she watched Naruto walk over to their row. Standing up for a minute to allow Naruto back into his seat. “Did you pass?”

“Yup!” Naruto answered with glee as he held up his new headband. Smirking at his best friend.

Len smiled brightly as she looked down at him. “That’s great, Naruto!” she told him. “Let’s go to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate us graduating together~!”

Naruto looked at her for a moment. “...Axl won’t be there, will he?” he inquired.

Len blinked as she looked at him. “...No. He won’t.” She gave Naruto a small smile. “I know you don’t actually care much for him. This is our time to celebrate. I don’t want you to have the night dampened just because he’s there.”

“Great!” Naruto said happily. He then turned his gaze over to Sasuke. “Will you be coming, too, Uchiha?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I really don’t see why I should,” he told the blond boy. “I really don’t care much for ramen.”

Len rolled her eyes. “Fine. Be a spoiled sport,” she accused. “We’ll just have fun without you.”

Sasuke glanced over to Len for a moment before he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “Fine,” he huffed. “If it gets you to shut up, I’ll go.”

“Oh, don’t go for us, Uchiha,” Len ordered. “Go because you want to. We could care less if you show up or not.”

Sasuke gave Len a glare as he sat in his seat.

“Alright class!” Iruka sensei called out as he walked back into the classroom. “That is all for today. I will see you back here early tomorrow to assign you to your squads. You are dismissed.”

Len quickly rose to her feet as she gave Naruto a bright smile. “Come on, Naruto! Let’s go!” She then began rushing out of the classroom.

Naruto quickly got up and raced off after her. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he let out another heavy sigh. He didn’t really care for going. But seeing his fangirls suddenly charge for him made him suddenly change his mind. He quickly rose to his feet and sprinted off after the blond duo. Avoiding his fangirls as they whined and complained about him suddenly leaving before they could talk to him.