"Hinoka!" Naruto exclaimed as I walked into his apartment.
"Hey, Naruto," I replied with a smile.
I took off my jacket and shoes and got bowls out to start cooking.
"You got up early; did you even sleep?" I asked, noticing his eye bags.
"No! I was too excited! I learned a new jutsu and even saved Iruka sensei!" He exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
"No way! You have to tell me everything!"
Of course, I already knew what had happened since I had watched the episode. It had taken every fiber of my being to stay in bed and not to intervene.
That moment was a key moment in Naruto's development. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't intervene.
I made breakfast while Naruto excitedly told me about everything.
Just as I placed his plate down on the table, he lifted his newly received headband and finished recounting everything to me.
"Hey... Hinoka?"
"What's wrong?"
Naruto fidgeted with his headband, a large smile on his face that tried to hide his nerves as he rambled on, "Could you eat with me today? Ya know it's been a while since you did. You always run off somewhere after making breakfast, and the food is really good, but if you're not too busy-"
I froze hearing that before chuckling as I pulled a chair out and sat down. "Of course!"
"I wonder what Sakura will say when I show her my new headband!"
"She'll probably be too busy staring at Sasuke to say anything."
"I'm ten times better than that jerk Sasuke! He thinks he's so cool, and all the girls fall for him for some reason!"
I burst out laughing as Naruto continued complaining and talking about how much better he was.
"Do you think we'll be on the same team?!"
"I doubt it, but I'm sure you'll come to adore the team you end up on."
I already knew Naruto would end up on Team 7 with Sasuke and Sakura, but I still didn't know who I'd end up with.
With Naruto having passed the exam at the last second, the number of graduates was an odd number, meaning I'd end up on a team with people who weren't in our graduation class, or I'd be on a five-man team.
"You know it's been a while since we pulled a prank," Naruto said with a grin on his face.
"And we have time before it's time to head to the academy," I continued.
...
"I told you the paint prank would have been safer!" I exclaimed as Naruto, and I ran through the streets trying to get away from an angry mob.
"But that's not as fun!" Naruto exclaimed back.
"Getting scolded by Iruka sensei won't be any fun either! We can't be late, or he may actually murder us!"
Naruto ducked, dodging a spoon most likely thrown by one of the people in the angry mob.
"Hey, that almost hit me, you jerk!"
I grabbed Naruto, pulling him to the side, this time a fork barely missing him. "Pretty sure that was the point, Naruto! Hey, that jutsu you told me about, why don't you show it off now?"
Just as we turned onto another street, Naruto grinned, making a hand sign exclaiming, "Shadow clone jutsu!"
Ten identical copies of Naruto suddenly appeared, surrounding us.
The mob soon followed, only to freeze as all 12 Narutos ran in different directions.
"Which one is the real one?!" Someone asked, trying to tell them apart.
I stopped in front of the academy, releasing my Naruto transformation jutsu as I searched for Naruto's chakra.
"Hinoka!" Naruto exclaimed, running towards me.
I resumed running, screaming back, "Hurry up!"
"No running in the halls!" A teacher exclaimed as Naruto, and I sped by.
We both barged into the classroom, panting heavily, exclaiming, "We're here!"
"The two of you are late!" Sakura exclaimed, glaring at us.
"Oh, come on, we can't be that late," I replied, glancing at the clock. "Is that clock wrong, or are we really two hours late?"
"You idiots really are two hours late!"
"Hey, Sakura, do you like my headband?!" Naruto asked, running towards her.
"It looks like a normal headband, Naruto," she replied, looking completely uninterested, "but Sasuke-kun's headband looks so cool."
"Huh?!"
Naruto continued arguing with Sakura about whose headband looked cooler while I scanned the classroom.
"Hey, where's everyone?" I finally asked, realizing the only people in the classroom were Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and me.
"Everyone else has already left with their sensei; ours is the only one left," Sakura replied.
"Then that means!" Naruto turned to Sakura, a large smile on his face. I had never seen his brain work so fast. "We're on the same team, Sakura!"
Sakura tried to maintain her composure as she smiled, replying, "Seems so."
But I could tell the only reason she was still maintaining her composure was that it also meant Sasuke was on her team.
"Does that mean we're going to be a five-man team?" I asked.
"That's... right."
I tried not to laugh as Sakura looked like she wanted to take her own life right there and then.
Suddenly, I fell to the ground as Naruto hugged me, exclaiming, "We're on the same team, Hinoka! This is going to be awesome, ya know!"
I burst out laughing, "Yeah, it's going to be fun!"