Today was another peaceful day in Konoha.
Sakiya stood in front of her mirror, admiring her already beautiful reflection. With delicate hands, she tied a ribbon into a neat bow around her long hair. She adjusted her blindfold and carefully wrapped a few layers of bandages around her right hand—though she wasn't entirely sure why.
After straightening her long-sleeved red robe, she struck a dramatic pose in front of the mirror.
One hand covered her left eye, while the other curled like a claw, pointing at her reflection.
With a confident smirk and her head tilted exactly 45 degrees, she declared:
"Hahaha! My alternate self! I know you're there! Don't think you can mimic my movements and hide your existence! You can't fool me!"
Just then, Sakura pushed the door open—
And froze.
For a moment, she silently observed the bizarre display in front of her.
Then—
With complete composure, she slowly closed the door again.
Standing outside, Ino and Hinata—both wrapped in light bandages from recent training—watched with confusion.
Ino: "What's wrong? Is Sakiya not there?"
Sakura, her expression slightly strange, shook her head.
"I don't think now is the best time to disturb her..."
"...?"
Ino sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Forget it. I'll call her. We're all going out for barbecue—can't keep everyone waiting."
With that, she opened the door and stepped inside.
A startled cry echoed through the house.
"Ha! Y-You… Ino! Heir of the Dark Emperor! How did you get in?!"
Sakiya dramatically pointed at Ino, her expression full of exaggerated shock.
"You should know my domain is protected by two divine beings! How dare you trespass!"
Suddenly—
A loud thud echoed in the room, like a wooden mallet striking something solid.
DUANG!
"Agh—!"
Outside, Sakura and Hinata exchanged knowing glances.
Inside—
"Idiot, Sakiya! Have you forgotten how well I know your parents?!"
"Hmph! That means nothing! This is still my territory, covered in countless ancient sigils, countless—"
SMACK!
"Ugh—!"
"Didn't you say we were all going for barbecue today?"
"Barbecue...? Oh, right! That was merely a lapse in my mortal consciousness! My mind had drifted into the abyss of oblivion, my memories erased—"
SMACK!
"Ow…!"
"Let's go already. Everyone's waiting."
The door clicked open.
Sakiya, now pouting and defeated, was dragged out by Ino, her little head bobbing in protest.
As they left, Sakura discreetly flashed Ino a thumbs-up.
Hinata was still a little shy.
Sakiya's eyes lit up when she saw her.
"Oh~ The True Eyes of the Night!"
Hinata responded with a shy smile.
"The Eye of Death..."
Sakiya grinned.
"Haha, it's been a while since the Dimensional Judgment, hasn't it?"
Hinata nodded gently.
"Yes, the Eye of Death… We really haven't talked much since graduation and sorting out our teams."
"Hmm, I—"
Sakura, watching their conversation, looked a little dazed.
It wasn't just that Hinata seemed completely unbothered by being called "True Eyes of the Night"—but also that she could completely understand Sakiya's cryptic way of speaking.
Meanwhile, Ino looked unfazed.
She had seen this kind of exchange too many times. Among all of them, Hinata was probably the most composed when dealing with Sakiya's dramatic "Chosen One" moments.
For someone as shy as Hinata...
She sure handled Sakiya's eccentricity well.
Maybe, to her, it was just a fun game between friends.
After saying goodbye to Sakiya's parents, the group headed out together, chatting happily.
After the Forest of Death trial, there were only a few days left before the final round of the Chunin Exams.
Because Ino, Shikamaru, and the others had gotten caught up in the battle against Orochimaru while helping Naruto's team, the Third Hokage decided to let them advance to the next stage.
Speaking of which—after the exam, the new generation of Konoha's top Genin had all come together.
This new "Top 12" included Sakiya, alongside the original main Genin of Konoha—except for Lee, Neji, and Tenten's senior teammate.
If they included Tenten, they were more like a "Top 13."
Fortunately, none of Ino's group was seriously injured, and thanks to Sakiya's healing abilities and the medical team's care, they recovered quickly.
And so, with everyone back on their feet, the group decided to celebrate—
with barbecue.
Arriving at the restaurant, Ino pushed open the door to the private dining room they had reserved—
Only to see that Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others had already started eating.
For a moment, there was a brief, stunned silence.
Naruto and his group looked up, mid-bite, eyes wide with surprise at the sudden arrival of Ino's team.
Meanwhile, Chōji, mouth full of meat, paused mid-chew—staring blankly at Ino as if caught in the act.
Ino huffed, crossing her arms.
"Seriously? You guys didn't wait for us?!"
Shikamaru lazily pointed at Chōji. "Blame him. He said he was starving."
Chōji, still chewing, shot back, "You're the one who said we should just start eating!"
Naruto, mouth half-full, looked confused. "Wait, why am I getting blamed now?"
Kiba laughed, nudging him. "Because, Naruto, it totally sounds like something you'd do."
"H-hey! That's not fair!" Naruto protested.
Akamaru barked in agreement. "Woof!"
Ino let out a frustrated sigh but waved it off. "Ugh, whatever. I won't be mad at you guys…"
She turned around. "Come on, Sakiya, let's—"
Then she paused.
Something was missing.
Sakiya and Hinata were gone.
She glanced at Sakura, who simply pointed toward the table.
Ino followed her gaze—
And there they were.
Sakiya and Hinata, happily eating meat.
As if they had been there the whole time.
Ino clenched her fists. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
With an exasperated sigh, she plopped down next to Sakiya.
The group resumed their barbecue, chatting and laughing.
Just as Ino was about to say something, Sakiya proudly slid a small lunchbox toward her.
"Hmph! My teammates are also my best friends! This magical, hand-prepared bento is for you!"
Ino blinked at the lunchbox full of perfectly grilled meat, momentarily touched.
But in the next second, she snatched it away, flipping her hair with a scoff.
"Tch! Idiot Sakiya! Don't think you can buy me off with barbecue."
Sakiya grinned. "Of course not! You can have as much as you want!"
With that, she stood up dramatically, grabbing a slice of meat in one hand.
Then, in one fluid motion, she flipped it into the air.
While it was still falling, she grabbed a handful of spices and scattered them like stardust over the meat before it landed perfectly on the grill with a sizzle.
The entire table fell silent.
Then—
"Woooaaaah!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "That was SO cool!"
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya Tsukigami, impressed but slightly bitter, gave reluctant thumbs-ups.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Alright! My turn!"
He grabbed a piece of meat, flicked it into the air, and reached for the spice—
Only for the meat to fall straight past the grill and onto the floor.
Naruto scratched his head. "Uh… oops."
Just then, an angry voice echoed through the restaurant.
"NARUTO—!!"
Naruto turned around—
And froze.
Sasuke stood there, a piece of grilled meat stuck right on his head, with seasoning dripping down his face.
Beside him, Shino and Tō were also covered in spices.
They didn't have to say anything—
The sheer intensity of their glares said it all.
Sasuke's eye twitched. The rage in his expression was practically radiating off him.
Then—
A thunderous roar erupted, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.
"NARUTOOOO!!"
What followed was a chaotic mess of Naruto's desperate apologies, Sasuke's furious yelling, and everyone else laughing their heads off.
Amidst the uproar, the atmosphere in the barbecue restaurant became even livelier.
Watching from afar, Kitahara Kira smiled at the commotion in the private room.
He turned to the server beside him.
"Put their meal on the house."
The server blinked. "Huh? Why?"
Kitahara Kira chuckled. "Tell them they won the lottery."
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