After several days of being back in Konoha, there were some noticeable and very strange occurrences that Sasuke observed.

To put it shortly, Sasuke thought he was being left out of something big. That was an abstract way to say it, but if he was being clear, he would say there were some changes.

The duty-orientated Naruto either skipped missions or was too early. Kakashi Sensei was always whispering to him, but they cleverly went aside at the most insignificant time to speak. It was the opposite for Sakura and Kakashi. At the end of each mission, Sakura ran off to their Sensei's side to speak.

This became something frequent the moment Sakura appeared one day in the most baffling way.

That day, she was running, but from the distance, Sasuke doubted his eyes for a brief moment.

"Miss Haruno?" Naruto had questioned, the first time he had spoken that day.

"Yes, I'm sorry for being late. I went to the salon early, but they opened later of all days," she explained with a breathy voice.

Once she caught her breath, she took a look at them. All their undivided attention was on her and only her. She had taken a step back, frowning as she did. Her hand touched her head as if it were a defense mechanism to hide her hair.

"Oh, my," Kakashi said, crossing his arms. His eyes told them he was quite amused.

Next to him, Naruto stood with a poker face. He and Sasuke blinked; they were both dumbfounded.

"Your hair and clothes," Kakashi tried to say something, not knowing where to begin.

Sakura chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I cut it really short," she replied, while she ran her fingers slowly through her hair, "How does it look-- honestly?"

"You resemble a man from a distance," Naruto answered monotonously.

"Naruto, I don't think she meant that truthful," Kakashi semi-reprimanded. 

It was the truth, especially with her black pants and red shirt. He had to admit, it was a weird yet good look on her. From his perspective, she looked ready to change for the better.

He just might be proud of his one and only female student.

"I... don't even want to respond to that," Sakura said, followed by a defeated sigh. 

She looked down at her makeshift outfit and continued to fidget with her pink locks.

And so, from that day forward, Sasuke began noticing the changes in his team. Of course, he did nothing but be skeptical, because he had his own business to think about. He was unsure about everything he did and second-guessed his every decision.

'Is this worth it?' Sasuke asked himself. 

And that very question acted as a catalyst, which brought up many other doubts and uncertainties.

Is any of this worth my effort?

Becoming a ninja just to kill my brother? In the first place, do I want to kill him?

Sasuke's head slumped down. All he could see were the bright rays that hit his utensils.

What was the reason I wanted to kill Itachi again?

"Sasuke."

The daily missions and training I do every day, what's the point?

Do I need to go so far?

Was everything he done worth saving this village I am now a part of?

"Uchiha."

Is it worth it to face him? Do I want to face him? Wasn't seeing him my only drive to do... anything.

"Sasuke-kun?"

What is... what is my purpose?

"Sasuke," called Kakashi.

Sasuke's hand twitched, coming back to reality. He looked around and saw Kakashi and Sakura staring at him. They looked puzzled, which was understandable since spacing out was Naruto's thing, after all.

On topic Naruto, who was to his right, was slurping his ramen noodles and simultaneously blankly staring at him.

It felt uncomfortable, to say the least. Especially so, remembering Naruto's threats.

"We were calling you, but you weren't answering," Sakura said with a frown. "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke's attention was on her for a very strange yet brief moment of trying to process this was, indeed, Sakura. Her clothes were changed back to her previous outfit, but her hair remained extremely short.

"No," Sasuke simply answered, turning to his bowl of ramen.

"Hm, sure." Kakashi nodded.

None of them were convinced, but Sakura was the only one who would take a chance to pry. But even she didn't say a thing.

"Well, then, like I told Sakura and Naruto, the Chunin exams will be in a few days. You might have noticed the ninja already gathering in Konoha these days."

"Yeah, I've seen a few. They're not a lot, but they're mostly from villages far away," Sakura chimed in, smiling as she did.

Oddly excited, Sasuke and Naruto thought. One of them was excited about the exams, at least. She was the main reason the both of them decided to participate because frankly, none of them had a reason not to take it.

Sasuke knew, however, that she was being a little naive and their team was closer yet broken. Everyone was in it for themselves, so he didn't know why Kakashi did not say anything against them taking the Chunin Exams. His first lesson to them was teamwork.

Had it something to do with their whispering? Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but shook his curiosity off. He'd rather not find out one more secret when he's already dealing with another.

"Prepare well and do your best, all of you," Kakashi simply said.

It appeared to be words of encouragement, but wary glances were not subtle to Sasuke's eyes.

"Yes, we understand, Kakashi Sensei," Sakura said.

She was in her own little world — much like Naruto who stared into his empty bowl. Sakura's smile was wide and her fists clenched in determination.

Sasuke only nodded and Naruto didn't respond.

He hoped nothing bothersome would happen, but he had a sneaking suspicion a lot of big things has yet to come.

And Sasuke hated this gut feeling.

➵

Samuel honestly felt bored and exhausted. Why was being a human being so tiring? It made him not want to wake up in the morning and stay asleep for the rest of his life. He understood now why Shikamaru Nara was so listless.

Alas, he had to do things in his life.

Sam chose to stay by Danny's side, so he had to see things through. Though pessimistic by nature, he wasn't a quitter. And that's why he found himself walking home with a sore body.

He rotated his neck while messaging his left shoulder.

"Ah, it hurts," he complained yet his tone was quiet. 

He sighed, remembering they had to do this training for a few more days and then had to take the exams.

"Ugh, why do I have to do this useless training?"

"You're saying that, but you trained without Danny today," Rin said from behind him.

Rin placed his hands on Sam's shoulder; he was smiling sweetly the entire time. He began messaging Sam's shoulders.

"That's--" Sam tried to rebuke. "That's not the point. He wants us to train, so of course, I'd train."

"Hmph."

Sam was glad Rin was behind him, because his flustered face would only add fuel to the fire. Rin wouldn't stop teasing him.

"Anyway!" Samuel swatted Rin's hands away and sped up his pace. "Why didn't he show up? He talks so much about training being important, but then he's a no-show!"

"I don't know. It's unlike him to skip training." Rin sounded unsure.

Until now, Rin thought he was overthinking it, but--

"Something's off," Sam announced.

He stopped in his tracks to face Rin. Sam looked away, and placed his hands in his jacket's pockets. 

"Something's wrong."

"He could be sick," Rin reasoned.

Sam suddenly made eye contact with Rin. At times, Sam's narrow eyes intimidated Rin and this was one of those times. He felt anxious the moment he saw the look in Sam's eyes.

"Let's go visit his house. I don't feel good about this."

When he openly said this, Rin felt his stomach churn. He prayed that Sam was wrong and they would find Danny in his house.

➵

Naruto stepped outside into the afternoon breeze. The first few days after his senses heightened were a nightmare, because his sensory neurons and overall, his skin, were sensitive to the cold. He had to wear extra layers and he got warm too easily.

Thankfully, he was adapting to everything at a gradual pace. He was beginning to understand and separate conversations from the noises he heard every day.

"What should I have for dinner?"

"Have you heard about that lady who--"

"Mommy! I want that!"

It was always noisy, but the different voices were becoming tolerable as they had always been. Naruto would go to the library or training grounds if the senses were too much.

He often transformed into another person if he had no energy for more whispering and people staring at him.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Wow, this is so delicious! Thank you for treating me."

"No problem, kid."

"I should pay."

"No, I should pay."

"Both of you, take your romance outside if you're just going to third-wheel me."

"One of this and that--"

A restaurant?

Naruto peeked at the said place. He caught a glimpse of a few familiar faces, but he had no intentions of interacting with them.

For a brief moment, his eyes landed on a sharp tool used to cut the meat. It reminded him of the day he came back from that mission. He unwillingly recalled what he contemplated and the knife he stared at as the arms of the clock ticked by.

Naruto pursed his lips while holding a poker face. His fists, placed in his jacket pockets, clenched tightly.

I should eat out tonight.

"The steak here actually tastes bad."

"What? You just have bad taste."

"Oh, I need to tell you something. Listen here real quick."

"Ugh, I hate people like that."

But not here.

"This customer is being so difficult."

"It's pretty crowded today."

"Did you get the kid?"

"Yeah, he's really quiet despite being a loudmouth."

"How can you be loyal to that?"

"Hey, you want to have another serving?"

"Sure!"

"I love the meat here!"

So noisy.