Chapter 8

The whole gang had gathered at Ichiraku Ramen House for a casual dinner. Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke all sat around the counter, enjoying their bowls of ramen. Well, most of them were enjoying it—Sasuke was just quietly eating, as usual, while everyone else chatted.

The night was going smoothly. No drama. No awkward incidents.

That is… until Hinata finished her bowl, placed her chopsticks down, and smiled warmly at the group.

"Thank you for the meal, everyone. I'll get going now. Have a good night!"

The group responded normally:

"Night, Hinata!" – Naruto
"Take care, Hinata-chan!" – Ino
"Don't stay up too late." – Sakura

And then, Sasuke, trying to apply what he thought he had learned from his 'greeting lessons', nodded at Hinata and solemnly said, "May you continue to exist."

Silence.

The entire ramen shop went dead quiet.

Hinata blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

Naruto violently choked on his noodles.

Sakura immediately banged her forehead on the counter.

Ino stared at Sasuke in horror. "Did… did you just grant her permission to LIVE?!"

Sai, ever the artist, pulled out a small notebook and jotted something down. "Fascinating. He speaks as though he is an ancient deity deciding the fate of mortals."

Shikamaru exhaled the longest sigh of his life. "I give up."

Hinata, bless her heart, smiled through it. "T-Thank you…? I will do my best to continue existing."

Sasuke, still completely oblivious to what he had just done, simply nodded in approval.

Naruto, gripping the counter like he was on the verge of a meltdown, turned to Sakura. "SAKURA-CHAN. YOU JINXED IT."

Sakura groaned. "I SWEAR I DIDN'T THINK HE'D ACTUALLY SAY IT."

Kakashi, who had conveniently arrived to pick up takeout, overheard everything and promptly walked out. He did not have the energy for this.

The next day, Naruto and Sakura dragged Sasuke back to the Hokage's office.

Kakashi, flipping through a book, didn't even look up. "Let me guess…"

Naruto slammed his hands on the desk. "HE GRANTED HINATA PERMISSION TO KEEP LIVING."

Kakashi sighed deeply and closed his book. "Sasuke… we talked about this."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "What? It's a valid farewell."

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sasuke. Normal people say 'Good night' or 'Take care.' NOT 'May you continue to exist.'"

Kakashi leaned forward. "You do realize that's something villains say when they let the hero go, right?"

Sasuke paused. For the first time, he actually looked slightly concerned.

Naruto, seizing the opportunity, dramatically grabbed Sasuke's shoulders. "BRO, HINATA THINKS SHE'S IN A BOSS BATTLE EVERY TIME SHE TALKS TO YOU."

Sasuke glared. "She does not."

At that exact moment, a messenger bird flew in, dropping off a small note on Kakashi's desk. Curious, Kakashi picked it up, read it, and immediately smirked. "It's from Hinata."

The room leaned in as Kakashi read aloud, "Please inform Sasuke-san that I will, in fact, continue to exist. Thank you."

Silence.

Naruto collapsed on the floor, wheezing, his hand clutched along his chest. "SHE'S PLAYING ALONG."

Sakura buried her face in her hands.

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Sasuke… I don't even know what to say anymore."

Sasuke, finally realizing Hinata was humorously acknowledging his weirdness, just huffed and turned away. "Hn. As she should."