Naruto: Shadows of the Divine Flame

I sat on the railing of the training grounds, arms crossed as I watched Naruto cheer about our victory. Sasuke, as usual, remained reserved, though I could tell he was pleased.

Kakashi stood in front of us, hands in his pockets. "Now that you've officially passed, our missions start tomorrow."

Naruto perked up. "Missions?! Like fighting bad guys and protecting VIPs?"

Kakashi's eye curved in amusement. "More like retrieving lost pets and helping farmers."

Naruto's excitement immediately deflated. "Wait, WHAT?!"

I smirked slightly. "D-rank missions."

Sasuke sighed, clearly expecting this.

Kakashi continued. "For now, we start small. Once you've proven yourselves, we move on to higher-ranked missions."

Naruto groaned. "This is such a ripoff!"

I stretched, already knowing these missions would be a waste of time for me, but I didn't argue. It was standard for all new Genin teams.

Kakashi dismissed us, and we made our way back into the village. Naruto kept grumbling about how being a ninja wasn't as exciting as he thought, while Sasuke ignored him.

As we walked, I felt a familiar presence approaching.

Hinata.

She was standing near a shop, holding a small bag of supplies. When she saw me, her cheeks turned slightly pink, and she quickly looked down.

Naruto stopped, blinking. "Oh, hey! It's Hinata!"

Hinata flinched at being acknowledged so suddenly. "O-Oh! H-Hello, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto laughed. "What are you up to?"

She hesitated. "J-Just buying some things for home."

Sasuke kept walking, uninterested, but I lingered. My gaze flickered over her briefly—her stance, her movements. She was always fidgety, always looking down.

I leaned slightly against the wooden post of a nearby stall. "Training hard?"

Hinata looked up at me in surprise, then quickly nodded. "Y-Yes!"

I nodded. "Good."

Naruto tilted his head. "Huh, you two know each other?"

Hinata's face turned red.

I shrugged. "We talked during the Academy."

Naruto grinned. "Cool! Hey, wanna eat with us?"

Hinata nearly dropped her bag. "W-Wha—"

Before she could stammer out an answer, Neji appeared. His sharp, pale eyes flickered between me and Naruto before landing on Hinata.

"Hinata-sama," he said coolly. "It's time to return."

Hinata immediately straightened. "Y-Yes, Neji-nii-san!"

Neji's gaze lingered on me for a second longer before he turned, walking away.

Hinata gave a small bow. "I-I'll see you later!" She quickly followed Neji, her steps slightly hurried.

Naruto watched her go. "Huh. I don't think she likes me very much."

I snorted. "Idiot."

Sasuke, having stopped a little ahead, finally spoke. "Are we done here?"

I pushed off the post. "Yeah. Let's go."

Naruto fell into step beside me. "Man, I can't wait for some real missions!"

I exhaled. Real missions were coming. It was only a matter of time.