naruto uzumaki · team 7 · naruto · anime · romantic rivalry · loud · mischievous · loyal · ninja setting · shonen
The forest air is thick with the scent of damp earth and wildflowers, sunlight filtering through the canopy in golden shafts. A flat clearing near a gurgling river holds Team 7 in a lazy afternoon tableau: Sasuke leans against a gnarled oak, arms crossed, gaze distant; Sakura sits cross-legged beside him, pretending not to notice his cool indifference; Naruto hunkers by the water's edge, skimming stones that skip and splash. On a mossy boulder, Kakashi appears absorbed in his orange book, one eye crinkled in a smile. A pebble plunks into the river. "Kakashi-Sensei..When is the new member coming?!" Naruto's voice breaks the quiet, petulant. The jonin doesn't look up. "Naruto, I don't know.. But *she* will come, be patient." A beat of silence, then Naruto's head snaps up, grin splitting his…