Soo... this was meh. I had higher expectations for this chap. It always plays out so well in my mind... until I try to write it on paper. Oh well. Sorry for the long wait! I hope you guys like it!
Also: thank you guys for leaving your questions for the chapter 10 interview with the cast members! Feel free to continue sending questions in your reviews before chapter 10 gets posted! I'm going to try incorporate all of your questions if I can! Maybe even put you guys in as audience members haha.
Anyways, thank you to all the follows/favorites/reviews! Your love and support is tremendously appreciated!
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Disclaimer: Don't own the characters—including Director Kishimoto. xD
Behind the Scenes: Episode 25
Naruto shrugged out of his bright orange jumpsuit and threw on his white crew-neck sweater and grey shorts. Heaving out a sigh, he grabbed his script off the makeup dresser and slumped into the plush upholstery of the loveseat provided by the studio.
The chunin exam scene had taken all day, and it took over twenty tries just to make sure every single person delivered their part correctly. Not that it was unexpected; this was a norm when so many extras were present in a single scene with actual lines to perform. Naruto was just relieved it was over. Most of the cast members were probably packing up for the day and heading home.
Naruto flipped through the pages, glancing over next week's scene. His eyes bulged when he caught sight of a specific segment with Sasuke, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face—until he slapped it away. Shaking his head, he ignored all the jokes coming to mind. Sasuke and Sakura seem to have been rubbing off on him far too much.
He heard the raven walk into their room, eyes still fixed on the parchment. "You haven't left yet?"
"I only leave when you leave, dobe," Sasuke said mechanically, sifting through their costume rack.
"Don't call me dobe, teme." Naruto rolled his eyes, though he'd begun to enjoy this routine… and the name-calling—not that he'd ever admit to it. "If you're looking for your regular clothes, I had moved them inside the closet with mine."
"Oh," Sasuke replied briefly. "Sure, thanks."
Naruto nodded, his focus returning to the words in front of him as Sasuke departed the room. It wasn't till five minutes later that something clicked and his head immediately jerked up. His orange jumpsuit was missing.
"What the—" Naruto instantly sprung off the couch, running through all the outfits to confirm his suspicions.
Yup. The Uchiha stole his jumpsuit.
Naruto slapped down his script and marched out the door. What could Sasuke possibly even do with his costume? He withdrew that thought as soon as his ears picked up on all the commotion coming from ahead.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down!" he heard nearing the area. A large crowd—presumably with the majority of the cast and extras—surrounded the set where the written portion of the chunin exams was carried out. He found a small cavity between the masses that gave him a clear view of the ludicrous event.
"I don't see how that wasn't perfection," Sasuke scoffed at booing spectators. "I'm even wearing the suit!"
True to his word, the raven was sporting the bright orange outfit—as comical as it looked. Naruto shook his head, not surprised in the least.
"Sasuke," Gaara called from behind the front desk. Sakura and Kakashi were seated to his right… was that the Hokage hat she was wearing? Naruto scrunched his brows. Seriously, what was going on here?
"We've noted your performance," Gaara continued. "Everyone is scored using the same method."
The raven narrowed his gaze at the boy. "I expect accurate results, then."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Accurate results" in Uchiha roughly translated to "I know I won so I better not hear otherwise."
"That refers specifically to you two," Sasuke said, pointing his finger at Kakashi and Sakura.
The silver-haired man smiled eerily while Sakura waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, go sit down."
Ignoring the instructions, he shoveled through the throng to get to the opposite side. Naruto slinked to the right, hiding from the raven before deciding to silently stalk him. Following him all the way to the studio room, he startled Sasuke when the boy turned around to close the door.
"What are you doing in my clothes," Naruto inquired, brows raised.
Sasuke smirked, ever curious why the dobe didn't land his part. Shrugging, he replied, "For the competition."
"The… competition?"
Sasuke watched the confusion running through the blonde's face as he changed out of the orange jumpsuit to white shorts and a charcoal half-zip sweater. "If you followed me, you saw it."
"I didn't see anything," Naruto retorted. "Now tell me what you're talking about."
"A competition…" Sasuke purposely dragged out, entertained by Naruto's peeved look, "To see who could do the best Naruto Uzumaki impression."
The blonde recoiled. "What? Why? Did the director decide this? Am I being replaced?" His expression switched from anxiety to anger. "Was this Gaara's doing?"
Sasuke jotted down that little slip into his memory. He thought Naruto was very confident and secure about his acting capability—and he had every right to be—but Gaara's presence pushed that certainty off balance. Or perhaps, this was just Naruto's inner fear? Sasuke set aside those thoughts for now and let a playful smile take its place, shaking his head. "No."
Naruto relaxed. "So then why?"
"Because," Sasuke whispered, leaning in close, "The victor gets to take you out on a date."
Naruto staggered back, grabbing the door handle for balance. "A-a date?"
Sasuke nodded gravely, enjoying every minute. He watched those blue eyes blink once, then twice, processing his words.
"I-I never agreed to this!" Naruto stuttered, then paused. "Wait… why are you competing?"
Sasuke fell back onto the couch, folding his arms behind him.
"Why do you think?" he smirked.
The blonde sputtered, color rising to his cheeks.
"Relax dobe, I'm actually doing you a favor," Sasuke said, not improving the situation at all.
"How is that doing me a favor?!" Naruto demanded, very much annoyed.
"Because, dobe," Sasuke said. "I'm saving you from the fifty girls who are killing themselves to get you."
Naruto blinked.
"There's fifty girls who wanna go out with me?"
"I know, I'm just as confused," Sasuke said, shrugging.
Naruto glared. "Teme."
Sasuke continued, taking full advantage of the situation. "Though… Neji and Kiba are also participating—not too sure what their reasons are, but it's not all that hard to guess."
Eyes widening, Naruto swiveled on his feat and strutted out the door, barely catching Sasuke's last words: "Just for the record, this was Sakura's idea!"
Naruto found his way back to the small crevice among the group of people eagerly observing the imitation of his character. His eyes roamed around the rest of the space, catching a bright green suit at the back of the room.
Lee… and Neji… was he… was Neji getting tips from Lee? Naruto focused on the two.
Lee bounced in place, a big grin covering his face as he extended his hand out into a victory sign. Neji copied the movements, his mouth forming the words "Believe it!"
Naruto sweatdropped. This was going to be embarrassing.
"Okay, next!" he heard Sakura call out, who didn't look surprised in the least when Neji made his way to the front. Rather, she looked pleased.
Ugh, leave it to Sakura to play cupid. Naruto pursed his lips.
"Whenever you're ready," she said. Naruto noticed Neji had ditched his usual getup for a bright orange t-shirt, not the most flattering color on the boy.
Neji nodded, then turned around to the audience. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes before popping them open brightly.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki!" he voiced cheerfully, pointing his thumb at himself while bouncing in place.
Naruto's head dropped. Oh god.
"I like the three-minute ramen in a cup and I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" He spun around and raised his hand in a thumbs-up, his hair flipping alongside him and whacking Gaara in the face. "Believe it!"
Naruto's hand flew over his mouth. Holy shi—
The whole crowd went silent. Neji, on the other hand, turned red as a tomato when he realized what happened.
Before it could get any more awkward, Kakashi slapped his hands together and stood up. "O-kay, then! Thank you for that… presentation, Neji. Please go take a seat and we'll announce the winner shortly."
Naruto's shock quickly faltered, a laugh escaping his lips. All the trouble with this contest was worth seeing that moment. Smiling to himself, he hurried back to his dressing room to grab his things. Not finding Sasuke in there, he decided to quietly sneak out of the building before anyone could catch him. The teme probably went back to hear the final results.
He slid his backpack on and tiptoed back to the main gallery, straightening up when he noticed the crowd dispersing.
'Looks like it's over,' he thought, scanning the area. His eyes caught a familiar pair, his classic smirk firmly in place as he walked over to him.
That was never a good sign.
Naruto made a run for the exit, but a hand gripped his shoulder and reined him back. "Are you… running away?"
Naruto glanced at the exit, then back at a very amused Sasuke. "No."
"So… when are we going on a date," Sasuke asked, wiggling his brows.
Naruto deadpanned, brushing the hand off his shoulder. "In your dreams, Uchiha."
Sasuke watched the blonde semi-scurry out the door, attempting to look nonchalant. "Dobe."
"Can't believe you won," Sakura sighed behind him.
"It's not all that hard to believe," Sasuke said. "I'm brilliant, after all."
Sakura slid her hand down her face in frustration. "If Gaara wasn't so set on being fair, I would have just gone with the runner-up."
Sasuke raised a brow. "Who was the runner-up?"
Sakura pouted. "Hinata Hyuuga."
Lololol. So close! For Hinata to get a chance with Naruto. I know some of you are NaruHina fans and SasuSaku fans and though I'm personally a SasuNaru shipper, I'm trying to keep it neutral. I'm going to try and have some NaruHina moments in the future for sure! I don't think I'm going to have a fixed pairing until we reach the Shippuden episodes. Sooo not to worry, if you don't ship SNS or SS or NH or whichever, there won't by anything for sure till then!
Look forward to next episode: Enter Orochimaru! Hehehe.
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