Despite the lies that you're making
Your love is mine for the taking
My love is just waiting
To turn your tears to roses{[Despite the lies that you speak,
Your heart belongs to me.
My love is just waiting,
To turn your tears into rose petals.]
Whispers in the Dark (original Skillet)
July 22nd, 1056
19:02
"Yoshi-san, don't worry. Everything will be fine!" for like ten minutes I've been trying to convince sensei. Whatever arguments I brought up, it's like talking to a wall!
"What if you feel bad? We're not close—we won't help!" she exclaimed in extreme irritation. The situation had heated up so much tension filled the room. Even the air felt heavy. And it started so smoothly.
"You trained me yourself and know perfectly well I can give myself first aid," I state confidently, feeling my heart sink.
"That's it! Enough. Here," she finally gives in and pulls some papers from the drawer. "Sign that you're aware of the consequences and go wherever you want."
I can feel with my skin how angry she is. Unpleasant to fight, but I don't think it could've gone differently.
"Got it," I nod cautiously and take the pen, "give this to the desk later?"
"Yes," Yoshi-san quickly exits the office without looking at me.
Damn! That came out ugly. She wanted the best for me, and I did this. Damn...
This morning they removed the stitches; I healed myself a bit more during the day and went to her in the evening to discharge early. Of course, I could've gone to the head Medical Ninja of our wing, but I wanted to warn her first.
I sign where needed and, leaving the office, head to my wing.
"Hello, Azemi-san," a bit worried about early discharge, I address the still quite young and inexperienced specialist. This fragile girl started working here recently but has already learned a lot, if I recall her skills three months ago.
"Oh, Ariza-chan, what are you doing here, sunshine?" she asked in high spirits, tearing herself away from her paperwork and standing up.
"Well, they told me to deliver this to you," I said, having to stand on tiptoes to hand her the documents across the desk.
She skimmed the document with her eyes and lifted a gaze that was no longer very cheerful.
"Ariza-chan, girl, you haven't fully recovered yet—why leave?" she asked innocently, stepping closer to me and placing her cold palm on my head.
"Well, Azemi-san, it just happened that way," I said innocently, smiling.
"What if something happens to you? They only removed your stitches this morning!" she began saying the same thing Yoshi-san had just minutes ago.
"Azemi-san, I myself possess medical ninja skills. If anything happens, I'll take care of myself," I objected gently, and she removed her hand from my head. "So nothing bad will happen."
"I see. So you're a medical ninja too, kitten," she said with a wide smile, touching my nose with her finger.
"Well... yes," I said, a bit embarrassed. She went back to her desk and pulled something out of her drawer.
"Fine, then go gather your things from the ward for now, and I'll write you a medical leave so they won't assign you missions for the next month, deal?"
"My things are already packed, and as you can see, I'm dressed, so I just need to wait," I said innocently, shrugging.
"Oh, perfect! Then wait, kitten."
I didn't have to wait long, and just a few minutes later, they gave me all the necessary papers. Letting out a relieved breath, I headed to the ward. I probably won't check out early anymore; it's... kinda scary somehow (especially the talk with sensei). Anyway, now I need to take these documents to the Hokage's Residence.
Just as I thought everything was behind me and entered the ward with a calm soul to grab my things, it turned out I wasn't alone.
The door creaked shut behind me, cutting off my escape route, and the ward plunged into pitch darkness. It was already dark outside the window, with gray-blue clouds covering the sky, signaling no stargazing tonight. In the distance, lantern lights flickered, and Konoha residents bustled on the streets. Only a light breeze chilled my skin, causing discomfort and reminding me I hadn't closed the window when I left. I approached the bed where my things lay in a bag and picked them up.
"Ari... don't tell me they've already discharged you," someone whispered quietly behind me. Turning around, I saw Sasuke, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the door. In the darkness, his eyes gleamed beautifully, as if warning that I wouldn't leave normally without talking to him.
"No, I... uh... checked myself out early," I said uncertainly.
"Why?.."
"Sasuke..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Should I tell him I'm leaving to meet Jiro and go to Minato about the unknown scroll, or head to the Hokage and gently warn about a possible attack on Konoha? Or that I want to introduce Jiraiya and Naruto so Naruto can beat Gaara during the invasion? Or... should I lie to him?
"Well?.." he waited for an answer.
"Anyway, I have urgent business."
"And of course, you won't tell me about it," he said with a bitter smirk, stepping right up to me.
"Sasuke, why did you come?" I asked with a heavy sigh. His familiar scent wafted over me, making me want to breathe it in greedily again and again, but I held back as best I could.
"I wanted to invite you to my birthday. They're discharging me tomorrow morning. We'll celebrate with family in the evening, then I'll go train with Kakashi to prepare for the third stage," he confided his plans, clearly hinting that I usually don't share mine with anyone, and took my hand. "Will you come?"
"I... I'll think about it. I really want to come, but I can't guarantee," I said, lowering my head. For some reason, I was almost certain I could make it, but something inside whispered I wouldn't.
"I see, Ari..." He pulled me to him with one hand while the other took my waist.
"Sorry..." I tried not to look into his eyes.
"Why?" He lifted my chin and looked at me so piercingly that my heart seemed to stop. "We've been together since childhood—is there something or someone more important?"
"Sasuke?" I blinked in confusion. "No. Of course not!"
"Then what should I think? Why are you silent?" There was barely concealed desperation in his voice.
"It's better than lying," I whispered tremulously, touching his cheek with my thumb.
"No, Ari. Don't you understand," Uchiha replied languidly.
"I have to go, Sasuke... sorry," I took three steps toward the door, ready to leave, but realized Sasuke had firmly yet gently grabbed my hand, not letting me go further. His hot fingers intertwined with mine, and a heavy silence hung in the ward. "Sasuke?"
"No!" he growled sharply and pulled me to him. In confusion, I dropped the bags from my hands. His warm lips greedily covered mine, his arms pressing me tightly as if for the last time, like I was leaving forever and never coming back. My legs turned to jelly, shivers running down my spine. To gain some confidence, I responded slowly. His tension gradually faded, and Sasuke, relaxing, kissed more cautiously, even awkwardly. I gently touched his face with my palm and deepened the kiss. For a moment, it felt like time stopped, like some magical dream. His movements were so childish, uncertain, that I wanted to push past myself and teach him how to kiss properly. But...
I abruptly pulled away from Sasuke, breaking the kiss unexpectedly. His gaze showed embarrassment, shame, and something else.
"We can't," I whispered, heading to the window without a second's delay. One thing was clear—I needed to leave this room as soon as possible.
"Wait!" Sasuke shouted after me as I started opening the window. "Ari!" Still breathless, he ran up to me, and to my own surprise, already on the windowsill, I flicked his forehead with two fingers. I don't know why I mimicked Itachi's habit, but I got a completely baffled look from Sasuke in return. He furrowed his brows, staring at me like I'd mentioned the Ten-Tails. It hit me instantly: in this world, Itachi never flicked Sasuke on the forehead with two fingers as a kid. "What are you doing?" he asked, blushing slightly and touching his forehead.
"I'll explain sometime later," I smirked finally, grabbed my things, and jumped out the window, pushing off the tree to land on a tall pole a second later. From there, I had a stunning view of nighttime Konoha. Too bad I had no time to admire it. I glanced back to see if Sasuke was following, but he was gone from where he'd been. Hm... did he leave?
"I see," I sighed heavily and headed toward the Hokage's Residence.
I felt a bit ashamed of what happened, but also happy. On one hand, Sasuke's still a kid: twelve years old, damn it, he just graduated the Academy. Kissing now feels wrong; let him grow up first. On the other hand, I see nothing forbidden or bad in it—Sasuke likes me, and not just as a friend anymore. And it was just a kiss.
"Damn! Come on! I'm contradicting myself!" I shook my head and took a deep breath of cool air.
I need to figure it out for myself: is Sasuke my boyfriend or my friend? This confusion in our relationship is stressing me out.
A few minutes passed, and I felt bad. I carefully descended to the ground and walked. Better to stroll to the residence; my run won't end well.
"Damn, curse it!" I'd been standing in front of the Hokage's office for minutes, unable to enter.
I raised my hand to knock and lowered it again. Where did my courage go? Without emotions, I'd have gone in three minutes ago.
What to say?
"Hello, Hokage-sama, I think one of the three great Sannin will attack in a month," I thought, then dismissed it. "Hokage-sama, I overheard that our village might be attacked,"—no good. Where would I overhear that, at Ichiraku Ramen? "Hokage-sama, I..."—I didn't finish before being interrupted.
"And what are you doing here?" a calm, familiar voice sounded behind me. I turned slowly, my gaze falling on those I least wanted to see now.
"Uh... Hello, well... I wanted to enter, Itachi-san," I stammered, justifying myself while staring at the jounin vest. Still, Itachi in the Akatsuki cloak from anime looks cooler and more badass.
"Then let's go," Kakashi said, who was standing next to Itachi, and opened the door. We entered the office and approached Minato's desk. Kakashi-sensei was to my right, Itachi to my left, making me uneasy, like I was on trial.
"Kakashi-kun, Itachi-kun, Ariza, greetings. What brings you?" Minato turned to us in his chair. His appearance was as worrisome as ever—his skin even seemed paler.
"We..." Itachi started, but a knock interrupted him.
"Minato-sama!" a young woman burst in unceremoniously with a folder. "Oh," she faltered, seeing us. "Wrong time."
She backed toward the door, but the Hokage's serious voice stopped her:
"Ayaka-chan, wait, hand over the folder and go home—it's late."
"Yes, of course!" she said cheerfully, handed it over, said goodbye, and left.
"Now, where were we?" Minato asked.
"We came on an important matter, but since Ariza beat us to it, let her speak first," Itachi said emotionlessly.
"Fine, Ariza, what's your business?" Minato looked at me.
"Hokage-sama, during the second stage of the Chunin Exam, one of the three legendary Sannin—Orochimaru—attacked Team 7. We talked, and I concluded he might show up in the village again during the third stage," I blurted out, staring straight at Minato. My legs weren't shaking, palms dry. Hm, easier than I thought. Though I didn't tell everything.
"Did he say that outright?" Minato asked, raising one eyebrow and leaning back with arms crossed.
"Um... no. I just thought so and decided to tell you," I shrugged innocently.
"You know, Ariza, I suspect an attack on Konoha during the Chunin Exam too, but like you, I have no proof. We can't cancel the third stage. We'll just bolster village defenses," Minato said calmly, sighing tiredly and looking out the window.
"How does he know?!" I wondered internally but showed nothing. "Damn, he's a real genius!"
"That's all?"
"Uh..." I pondered telling him about Kabuto or Orochimaru wanting me for experiments. "Yes. That's it."
"Ariza-chan, are you sure you told everything? Feels like you're holding back," Kakashi eyed me intently, making me nervous again. Too bad I can't jump out the window like an hour ago. They wouldn't get it.
"Kakashi-sensei, I..." I trailed off, thinking.
"Anyway, Kakashi-kun, relax—Ari hasn't said at least seventy percent yet. And she won't."
"But Minato-sensei, she must report everything concerning Leaf's safety," the Copy Ninja protested as I recovered from shock. How does Minato know everything?! About the attack, me holding back, and calling me "Ari"? Only closest friends do that! What else does he know but not say?
"Kakashi-sensei, reporting everything would be nonsense. No proof," I tried justifying.
"If you had proof, you'd tell?" Itachi spoke up.
"Of course," I said confidently, adding quietly: "if I deemed it necessary."
"Alright, Ariza, since you know about the attack, I'll assign you a special village defense mission. You don't mind, Kakashi?"
"Mm," Kakashi pondered, then: "Not at all. It'll do her good."
"Perfect, Ari. Come to me the day before the exam—August 18th—and I'll brief you, okay?" Minato said, glancing at the wall calendar.
"Got it," I nodded reluctantly. I wanted to refuse—need to protect Naruto and Sasuke—but couldn't defy Minato. For some reason...
"By the way, did you submit your hospital note?"
"Yes, to the secretary. Cleared until August 15th."
"Great, you're free. See you the 18th."
"Yes, thank you, goodbye," I said farewell to everyone and hurried out. Good that Minato knows about the invasion; I was thinking of setting traps outside. Half done. Now tell Minato about the scroll, buy Sasuke's birthday gift, and maybe introduce Naruto to Jiraiya. That's the plan for the month. Hope nothing interferes.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan