𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐇𝐀, various! naruto x reader [BOOK 1]

t e n

chapter | ten

     YOU WALKED THROUGH the foliage, your determined eyes scanning the area for Sakura, or Naruto— hell, even Sasuke. It had been about ten minutes since you had last seen one of your team members, and you were wondering where they had fled off to. If you were to attack in a team, it'd be more likely for one of you to retrieve a bell from Kakashi. You're called team seven after all. Pushing past the greenery, you made your way through the brushes and into a large clearing, letting out a sigh of relief. Walking toward the center of the clearing, you went to return your kunai back into it's holster, when your finger suddenly brushed against a familiar soft fabric— the Konoha headband.

     Your brow furrowed, "Huh, I forgot I had this. . ." Pulling your headband from it's safe-keeping, you ran your fingers over the engraving of the leaf symbol. You stared blankly at it, unsure of what you should do with the object.

"Why don't you wear it?"

Startled, you spun around and found Kakashi crouching on a branch that hung above your figure, staring down at you curiously. Holding the headband protectively against your chest, you stared back at the jounin.

". . . I'm not from Konoha, so what's the point in wearing it. . . ?" Slowly, you stuffed the metal object back into your pocket "I don't really belong here. . ."

     Kakashi frowned. "That's not true at all, [Name]. You're one of us now, and it's your job to protect the people of Konohagakure. They'll need you, [Name]." Your face went red, and you averted your eyes to the ground. He couldn't really mean that. . . could he? Looking back up to respond, you blinked, finding the branch that Kakashi was crouched on to be completely empty.

     There was a spike of chakra from behind you, and your eyes widened, your body quickly spinning around. "You must keep your guard up at all times," Kakashi lectured, simultaneously swiping a kunai at you. Quickly, you jumped backwards, avoiding his direct attack while retrieving your own kunai from your holster.

"Your reflexes are quick," Kakashi praised, smirking through his mask. ". . . But is it quick enough?" Slashing at him using your kunai, you gasped, watching as his body transformed into a giant cloud of dust, revealing an old tree log.

     "Damn it," you muttered, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of Kakashi— but there was no sign of him, the only presence being your own surprised figure. Interrupting the silence was a sudden scream that echoed from across the forest, making your heart drop. That sounded like Sakura— is she okay?! Hesitating, you searched the surrounding area once more for any sign of life, before heading toward your teammates cries.

. . .

Hopping your way through the trees, you came to an abrupt stop when you spotted a familiar pink-ette, who was sprawled across the dirt unconsciously. ". . . Sakura?!"

Bursting through the leaves, you dropped down from the branch and to the ground, but not before you locked eyes with the Uchiha himself— who was buried-neck deep within the dirt. You paused, staring at the raven-ette, who stared back, blinking. The silence seemed to drag on, before the Uchiha cleared his throat.

"[Name]," He said, snapping you our of your trance. "Help me out of here." Nodding, you dropped to your knees, digging away at the dirt that was packed around his neck. In ten minutes tops, Sasuke's upper-body was freed from the dirt prison, and used his arms to pull the rest of his body from the ground.