CHAPTER 3:

"Sumiko-chan? Sumiko-chan?" A familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up from her pack of food to look at a blond head staring at her with wide blue eyes. "Sumiko-chan, are you okay?"

She sighed. "Yeah, sorry. I am just a little worried about the graduation exam." A gust of wind blew a few strands of her hair and she swiped it out of her face. She had to admit, dying her hair purple had been a good idea.

"Yeah, it's a drag, but you'll do fine," came a tired reply. It was such a typical answer for Shikamaru that she had to smile.

"Exactly! I've seen you practice it so many times, Dattebayo!" Naruto added. "You even made me do it. It was so boring!"

Her lips quirked at the corners. Lunch break had started a few moments ago, and they were still waiting for the other so join them. Sasuke was sitting begrudgingly by her side but she knew him enough to know that he liked the company. He would've never agreed to it otherwise. These were his friends too. He knew it, she knew it, they knew it. He just wouldn't acknowledge it because that was how he was.

"That's why you're such a loser,." Sasuke muttered, annoyed face gazing off to the side.

"What did you say, you bastard?" Naruto shouted, standing up from his chair trying to look like a man ready to fight but to her he seemed more like a toddler raising his cute little fists.

Sumiko chuckled, face tucked away in the palm of her hand. She had yet to understand why the both of them were always fighting. Was it so hard for them to get along? It was obvious they were good friends, maybe even better than her and Naruto were and yet they were always at each other's neck. It was as frustrating as it was amusing sometimes.

"Sumiko-chan…" Naruto was looking at her with a pout. "Why do you keep on day-dreaming today?"

She laughed. "Do you need my attention, you little attention-seeker?"

"Tsk."

"Don't you 'tsk' me, you bastard. You're always spending time with Sumiko-chan. What do you understand!" Naruto yelled.

"Obviously, I spend time with her. She's my sister."

"Stop arguing, you two,." Sumiko ordered. This was getting annoying very quickly. The fact that they were all on edge didn't help matters. "And Sasuke, wipe that disgusted look off your face."

"Exactly, Dattebayo!"

"Naruto, stop yelling at Sasuke." She sighed. Why was she supposed to be the barrier between them? She had a lot of things to worry about other than managing them both. The graduation exam was tomorrow. There was no way she would be put on Team Seven. The last two remaining Uchiha and a Jinchuriki; Danzo would never agree to that. She knew they would be alright without her, but it didn't mean she wasn't scared for them.

Her fists clenched as memories rose behind her closed eyelids. Yeah, she had to get on Team Seven. She had to become a strong shinobi and protect the ones she loved. She would have to do her best to be the strongest kunoichi of their class. Well, she had promised a certain somebody that she would be one the strongest kunoichi in the world so this was mandatory anyway. She didn't even have a choice, did she?

…

"You can do it, Naruto!" Sumiko cheered as her best friend entered the Examination Room. He gave her a wide grin before disappearing behind a closed door.

After a few minutes, the door opened once more and her name was called out. Giving her brother's shoulder a firm tap as a way of goodbye, she jogged inside. Sitting before her were Iruka-Sensei and Mizuki-Sensei waiting patiently for her to join them. Her mind nudged at something. "Okay, Sumiko-chan, please, show us your Clone Technique."

"Yes, Sensei."

Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. She could feel her fingers twitch as she brought them together to form a sign. Controlling her breathing, she felt for her chakra coil and imagined them separating into strands. The root-like structures split apart and she fought to keep her concentration. The strands kept jiggling in her hold no matter how tightly she held them. It felt like someone was pulling them, not letting her take control.

Come on, Sumiko thought. Gathering up the escaping strands once more, she finally split them apart and opened her eyes. Standing beside her was another Sumiko, giving her a reassuring smile. She gave out a sigh, a part of her wondering if the smile meant she was reassuring herself before finally looking at Iruka sensei.

"Hmm… Just one?" The response caught her off guard. How many was she supposed to make? Just one was so hard for her, how was she supposed to make more? How many had the others made? There was no way she could become the strongest kunoichi graduate. Did that mean she wouldn't be on team 7? Would she even pass? Would she not be able to even become a shinobi, forget one of the strongest? What was she going to do?

She could hear Iruka speaking as if from underwater. This was bad. This was very bad. What was she going to do now? She would have to be a civilian. She won't even get to work in the hospital. Her chakra control was already so bad, there was not a chance in hell she could become a medic. No. Sasuke… Naruto… she would have to leave them. She'd have no one left. What –

"Um… Sumiko-chan? Are you okay?" Iruka's soft voice penetrated her thought bubble, bringing her back from her panic haze.

"Yes, sensei. I apologize." She replied. "What were you saying?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "You pass."

"Huh?"

"I said. you pass." He repeated. "Good work, Uchiha Sumiko."

"Thank you, Sensei." She muttered, head bowed down. Taking the offered Konoha headband, she looked up at her sensei hesitantly. "Um… Sensei… About Naruto?"

He looked away. Mizuki sensei was staring at her with curiosity, blue eyes slightly wide. "He failed." Came Iruka sensei's answer. "I'm sorry but he wasn't even able to make one clone. I had no choice."

"He… failed?" She let out a breath.

She knew he was supposed to fail but that didn't mean she hoped he would. If she wasn't wrong, this was supposed to be a chance to learn his multi-shadow clone jutsu. How was he supposed to learn it again? She shook her head. Now was not the time to worry about the plot.

"If you will excuse me, Iruka sensei, I should go check on him. Thank you for passing me." With that, Sumiko ran outside, lips pursed in frustration.

Naruto was sitting alone at his swing, head bowed down. "Naruto…" She whispered under her breath, unable to stop her heart from aching. Ignoring the whispers around her, she approached him. "Naruto?"

As soon as he saw her, his eyes widened. "Sumiko-chan… I failed."

She pursed her lips, kneeling down on the ground. She wrapped a hand around the rope of the swing and placed another on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, what did you say you wanted to become?" She asked, eyes not moving from his.

"I… I want to be Hokage,." he replied, eyes cast down. She put her fingers underneath his chin, forcing him to look at her. "That's never going to be possible now, is it?"

"If you give up, will you be able to become Hokage?" she asked, her voice gentle as the resting sea.

"N-No,." he answered.

"Exactly. You are one of the few people I know who never give up. That is what I admire about you, Naruto,." she said, eyes staring into his, probing him to understand.

His eyes widened, a blush covering his cheeks. "You're right. I will become Hokage no matter what, Dattebayo!"

"Then – "

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" The voice belonged to Mizuki-Sensei.

Naruto looked up at him, his eyes dull. "Mizuki-Sensei?" He gave him a smile.

"Sumiko-chan, was it?" he asked, eyes staring at her. He had such a kind face. "Could I speak to Naruto-kun alone? I have something to discuss with him."

"Huh, why?" Naruto asked, head tilting in confusion. "Whatever you tell me, you can tell her too." Sumiko suppressed a smile.

Mizuki looked really uncomfortable for a moment and Sumiko decided to take pity on him. What could he possibly do that would harm Naruto? "It's fine, Naruto. Go have a talk with him. He probably has some tips or something to share, right Mizuki sensei?" She asked.

He just nodded at her, giving her his most common smile. Naruto nodded a moment later, hesitance clear in the set of his shoulder.

Walking back to her brother, she left him alone. Pushing through the horde of girls surrounding Sasuke, she leaned into him. "Did you pass?" She asked. It was a needless question.

"Of course."

She didn't reply, just rested her head on his shoulder, arms wrapping around his. Ignoring the envious whispers, she closed her eyes shut. Really, could the girls be any more frustrating? It wasn't her fault she enjoyed annoying them even more.

"I assume you did too?" She barely noticed the hint of concern in his voice. She didn't blame him.

"Hmm,." Closing her eyes, she let the world dissolve into darkness. Couldn't she just get this over with?

…

It was only when the alarm bells rang that she realized her mistake. Sumiko had felt as if she was forgetting something the whole day and only when the bells rang did it click. Cursing the whole damn world, she ran out of the house, calling out to a bewildered Sasuke and letting him know she would be back. She ran through the woods, glad she had a pouch of kunai and shuriken ready with her.

The trees rushed past her, just a blur of brown and green. How could she forget such an important part? How much of the plot had she forgotten already? Was her future knowledge that rusty? How was she supposed to save the people she loved if she was of no use?

Her feet leaped from branch to branch without leaving any footprints. The alarm bells meant that all below chunin level shinobi were supposed to stay at home but she couldn't afford that. Even knowing the fact that Naruto would be alright no matter what, she couldn't leave it be. What if something went wrong? Just her presence in Naruto's life could mean a different outcome. He wouldn't die, she knew that much. But there were other things that could go wrong.

Sumiko gritted her teeth, wishing for her sharingan more than anything. If she had her sharingan right now, she could've easily traced the trails left by a no doubt hurried Naruto. It was just another thing she lacked. Just another thing Sasuke was better at.

Noticing the clearing ahead, she rushed forward to see a fight already in progress. She felt a smile twitch her lips. There was nothing to worry about, after all. Hiding behind the leaves, she watched as Naruto beat Mizuki to a pulp, all the while shouting and cursing at him. She watched as Iruka sensei finally handed Naruto a headband and bit her lip in amusement at the look on his face.

Feeling much better than she had just a while ago, Sumiko headed home with a smile on her face.

…

There were two loud knocks on the door before a voice yelled out. "Sumiko-chan!" She looked at Sasuke who looked just as baffled as her. Why was he here when it was so late already?

She opened the door to see a slightly bruised Naruto standing in front of her, hair tousled as if he had just been in a fight. Right… he had been in a fight. She wasn't surprised to see most of his wounds were already healed.

"Naruto?" she questioned, surprise tinting her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!" he answered with a bright grin. And… she just stared at him because what? "Huh? Sumiko-chan? Are you okay?"

She gave him a nod before moving aside to let him in. He went in and plopped down on the floor beside Sasuke who gave him a disgusted look. She closed the door to sit beside him, a questioning look in her eyes. He had been to her house a lot of times before but it was never so late at night.

"What are you doing here, loser?" Sasuke asked with a frown, arms folded at his chest.

"None of your concern, you bastard. I came to see Sumiko-chan, not you." He replied, glaring right back at him. She sighed. Well, at least this was normal.

"Didn't you hear the alarms? Shouldn't you be at home in your diapers?" Right… dear brother of mine, calm down, she thought with an eye roll.

Naruto looked away, eyes staring at the floor. "I – I just wanted to spend some time with you guys."

Her heart stuttered. So that was why he came here. He had just found out about the nine-tails inside him. It was no wonder he wanted some comfort from his friends.

She brought a hand up to ruffle his hair. "Hey, Naruto… Why don't you stay and have some dinner with us? We were just about to start." She said with a smile on her face.

His eyes lit up. "Really? I've never had dinner at your place dattebayo!"

She gave out a laugh before getting up to bring in the prepared food. She had expected Sasuke to protest but he didn't say a word. Hiding a secret smile, she placed everything on the table, not failing to notice Naruto's almost drooling face. Had he ever eaten anything besides ramen for dinner? She was suddenly glad she had invited him over for lunch a couple times.

"You're lucky, I've made my special recipe today." She said, grinning at him. "It has a lot of cheese in it so you're going to love it." He had never had cheese before she gave him a sandwich one afternoon. His face had been priceless.

Naruto's eyes practically glowed at the prospect, lips widened in a delighted expression. Chuckling, she handed him a plate full of pizza, adding some home-made ketchup on the side. It wasn't perfect, she knew. But there was not a lot you could do with a makeshift oven made out of chakra and a few scraps of metal. She handed a plate to Sasuke and got one for herself. It was a good thing she had made lots of pizza, hoping to have some the next day.

"Whoa, Sumiko-chan!" He let out, eyes closed in pleasure, mouth still chewing on his food. "It's no ramen but it might become my next favourite food, dattebayo!"

Her brother huffed. "Don't talk with food in your mouth, idiot."

"Shut up, Sasuke!" The reply was immediate but he hadn't even paused a second before grabbing another slice off his plate.

Sumiko gave another huff of laughter, eyes twinkling in amusement as they continued bickering. This was nice, she thought. She wanted to stop time and live in this moment forever. For the pizza, of course.

…

"No, I will sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

Sumiko entered the classroom, looking around in confusion. All the girls were gathered near the window, completely obscuring the view. "No, I will!" one of the girls shouted and was chorused by the others. It was pure and utter chaos.

She walked forward, trying to push through the crowd to where she was sure her brother was sitting. As she finally saw open space, a hand pulled at her shoulder.

"Huh? Where do you think you're going?"

Trying not to show the exasperation on her face, she turned around.

"Oh, so it's you, Sumiko-chan," a pink haired girl said, hands on her hips. "Don't think, I'm going to let you sit there just because you're his sister."

"Um…, Sakura-chan, I have to – " She let out a breath as she was pulled from behind again. Frustration rising, she was about to slap the hand away when she was suddenly facing the board, body seated on the bench. Huh?

Looking beside her, she saw her brother glaring at the girls. "Move it."

Sumiko frowned. Did he have to be so rude about it? "Stop it, Sasuke." Did he really think she needed to be protected from twelve year-old girls?

She sighed. Then again, it wouldn't really be Sasuke if he did something like that and frankly, she might have suspected if he were an imposter otherwise.

She saw a body push through the crowd, sympathizing. A blond head burst through and a grin split his face. "Sumiko-chan!" She was about to wave at Naruto before she felt an awful lot of actual rage coming from behind him. Eyes rising to that of the girls, a shudder went down her spine. Oh, damn.

"Hey, Sumiko-chan, I forgot to tell you yesterday but look!" He pointed at his headband. "I passed!"

Naruto must have seen her expression because he turned around with a frown as a girl pushed him out of the way.

"Sasuke-kun, is it okay if I take the other seat then?" This time it was Ino, her voice the sweetest Sumiko had ever heard her use. It almost gave her a cavity.

Sasuke ignored them, glaring out of the side window.

"Hey! I'm going to take the seat beside Sumiko-chan, Dattebayo!" Naruto answered instead, frowning once more.

Sumiko had absolutely no idea what to do in this situation. Could she fight some low-level shinobi instead?

The girls and Naruto began arguing and she sighed. What a drag, she thought, suddenly understanding the Nara sitting a few benches behind. Before she could do anything, Naruto was on the bench, eyes glaring at Sasuke.

"What do they see in you, huh?" he asked, nose wrinkled.

"Huh?" Sasuke replied, glaring right back.

Pursing her lips in annoyance, she brought up a hand. Were they going to fight all the time now? How the heck was she supposed to deal with this for almost the whole day, every day? She was already getting a headache. "Okay, stop –" Her voice was cut off as the guy in front pushed his hand behind in an expressive gesture, pushing Naruto who was sitting in a precarious position. Sumiko's mouth gaped open as her friend tilted forward with the force, smashing straight into her brother, lips locked.

What the hell just happened?

Eyes widened, they jerked away from each other, coughing. Without a second thought, Sumiko burst out laughing. "You –" She couldn't even say it without giving a spout of laughter. "You just kissed!" She had completely forgotten about this incident!

The both of them turned to her, Sasuke with a glare and Naruto with a complaining frown. This brought out another burst of laughter from her as she slapped a hand to her mouth, trying to stop. Their faces! She hadn't ever seen anything funnier than the faces they were currently making. "I can't believe that just happened." She said with a giggle. "You have my approval, go live a happy, free life, you love birds."

"Stop teasing, Dattebayo!" Naruto complained and Sasuke merely huffed at her.

Her laughter slowly ceased and only then did she notice the anger coming from beside her. Naruto must have felt it too because he turned around, eyes widening. "NARUTO…"

All the girls were glaring at him, fist rubbing onto a palm. "How dare you…"

Oh dear… This was bad.

…

"Now, for Team Seven!"

Sumiko clutched at her desk, fingers turning almost white. She had to be on the team. There were only a few teams left and her name had yet to be called up. She had barely even made one clone. She would've been dead last if it wasn't for Naruto. Was there even a chance that she could get on Team Seven? Was it even possible?

"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and," She clenched her eyes shut. "Uchiha Sumiko."

A breath of air released from her lips. How–? How was this allowed?

"Sumiko-chan!" Naruto shouted, grinning with happiness. "We're on the same team, Dattebayo!"

Even Sasuke had a small smile on his face. She grinned back at them as a thought popped into her mind. Of course. That made so much sense. She should've thought of it before. She would've been placed on the group despite the fact that she was the best in class or not. Danzo had wanted to place them all together for a reason. He wanted to keep an eye on them and what better way than to simply put them all in the same place?

Iruka sensei continued announcing the other teams. As he announced team eight, she gave Hinata a smile with thumbs up. "Let's – do – our – best." She whispered, lips moving slowly to let her understand what she was saying.

"Yes!"

She gave her another smile as the class continued. They had gotten much better at this after using it to communicate in class so many times before.

Soon, the whole class was sorted into different groups, Sakura included. She felt kind of bad for the girl. There was a high chance she wouldn't be able to make it through the final exam. She wouldn't be able to turn out as a badass medical ninja like before. That didn't mean she would be completely useless though. She was sure Sakura would have something to do. And no matter what, she didn't regret being placed on team seven. There were things she had to do. But first, she thought, let's go and get their perpetually late sensei.

A/N: Bit of short chapter this time and I'm not going to lie, it wasn't really my best. I'm already done with the fourth and the fifth so I can definitely tell they are much better than this one so please bare with me.

And on a good note, Kakashi! We'll finally get to meet Kakashi in the next chapter and get to see Sumiko fangirl a little bit about it. Anyway, the updates will continue twice a month for those who don't know. Looking forward to your reviews! xx.