"This is not Konoha."
"So...where are we then?" Ino whispered, her usual sass gone. She picked up an apple, frowning.
"We were in Konoha during the reign of Tsunade-sama just a few days ago! How did we travel so far into an area that feels like a cold mountain range without even realizing it?"
Sakura looked at the ground, remembering her bandaged shoulder. "And the lack of familiar chakra around here is bad. My wound is taking too long to heal. The Nature Energy in this place feels… strange."
Hinata, with her quiet logic, tried to bring focus back. "We know it is cold, and we know we are lost. We should focus on what we have."
"True," Tenten agreed. "These fish won't last forever. We need to figure out a plan before all of this become stale. And speaking of cold and fish..."
Tenten paused, looking towards the lake where the boys were. "How much longer do you think those boys will be splashing around in there? It's almost lunchtime, and they are using our food-catcher as a bath toy."
Ino let out a small, wry chuckle. "Knowing Naruto, probably until his lips turn blue. Or until Sasuke-kun finally uses a cold glare powerful enough to freeze the lake."
"Don't even joke, Ino!" Sakura said quickly, her eyes wide. "We don't need any more weird stuff happening to this lake!"
The girls were still talking about the cold weather and the strange, short days when a loud, excited voice cut through the air from the direction of the lake.
"Ino-san! Ino-san! We have more youthful fish!"
It was Lee, yelling at the top of his lungs. He had clearly finished chasing Naruto's pants and was back to his mission.
Tenten rolled her eyes and sighed, holding up a fish she was cleaning. "More fish? Seriously? We can't eat so much raw trout, Lee!"
"He means he caught more," Ino corrected, looking annoyed. "He probably fished the entire lake clean just to show off his 'youthful power.'"
Lee's voice boomed again. "Ino-san! Come and take them! They are too energetic to hold for long!"
Ino gave a dramatic groan and looked at the pile of apples and herbs. "Ugh. I can't go. I'm helping Sakura and Karin-san sort these supplies. We have to keep the fish cold, remember?"
She then looked over at Hinata. Hinata was quietly putting the last of the apples into the basket, her cheeks pink from the chilly air.
"Hinata, why don't you go?" Ino asked sweetly.
"You're done with the apples, and your basket is empty. It'll just be a quick trip to the lake."
Hinata looked up, and her eyes, still slightly wide from Lee's shouting, immediately went down to the ground. She knew exactly why Ino was asking.
'The boys... they are all still in the water,' the thought flashed in Hinata's mind.
'And they are all bare from the upper chest because they are taking a bath..... Now what am I gonna do!?'
She imagined the scene: Naruto and Lee wet and laughing; Sasuke standing with his usual cool, dripping look; and even Neji, shirtless and calm.
'Oh, my goodness! I can't look at them! I shouldn't look at them! But if I go, I will have to look!' Hinata's thoughts raced, and her face started to feel warm, turning a deep, noticeable shade of red.
She tried to stop the heat, but the more she thought about the bare chests and shoulders, the brighter her blush grew.
She looked at Ino, her eyes pleading. She wanted to say,
'I'm too shy, Ino, please don't make me!' but the words caught in her throat.
Without saying a single word, Hinata gave a tiny, shy nod, a clear gesture that meant:
'Okay, I'll go for you, but please don't look at my face right now.'
Ino just smirked, a look of victory on her face.
"Thanks, Hinata! You're the best!"
Hinata slowly stood up, turning away from the others so they couldn't see her burning red cheeks, and began to walk toward the faint sound of the water.
Hinata walked slowly toward the sound of the waterfall. Her cheeks were still very red, and she kept her eyes glued to the forest ground, walking with short, nervous steps.
As she got close to the lake, the splashing sounds stopped.
Right at the water's edge, Older Sasuke was stepping out. He was wet, his hair was dark and stuck to his head, and he wore only his dark shorts. Mini Sasuke, still bare-chested and giggling, was right behind him, copying his every move.
Hinata didn't look up. She kept her eyes on the wet ground. Lee, who had swum back to the edge, held out a bundle of the newly caught fish.
Without looking at his face or anyone else, Hinata reached out, grabbed the fish, and quickly put them in her basket. She turned right around, ready to run back to the others.
"Hinata."
The voice was low, dry, and came from right behind her. It was Sasuke.
She froze immediately. She knew she had to look at him, but her mind was screaming, 'Don't look! Don't look at his chest!'
Slowly, she forced herself to turn and look up. Her eyes went right to his face, but then they quickly dropped, making a panicked sweep:
Her eyes fell on his wet chest—the skin glistening under the sun. They jumped quickly to his wet, black hair—which was dripping water onto his shoulders.
Then her eyes darted back up to his face—trying to look anywhere but down. Finally, she managed to force her gaze to his eyes.
Sasuke looked down at her with a flat, judging stare, his irritation clear.
"Were you even listening to what I was saying?" he asked. He snapped his fingers sharply right in front of her face.
Snap!
The sudden noise pulled Hinata violently out of her shy, inner thoughts. Her whole body jumped. She blinked rapidly, her face turning even redder.
"Oh! S-sorry! Yes... I mean, no! What were you saying?" she stammered, twisting the handle of the basket.
Sasuke gave a quiet, impatient sigh. "I said, when you get back, send Sakura over."
Hearing the name of her friend instantly broke the strange, dreamy feeling of looking at him. Hinata's excited blush quickly faded, and a small, sad look appeared on her face. Her moment was gone.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "I will."
She quickly turned around and hurried back into the trees.
Hinata hurried back through the trees, clutching the basket full of slippery fish. Her face was still warm, but the earlier blush had settled into a faint sadness. 'He only asked for Sakura-chan. Of course, he will ask for Sakura-chan only.'
She reached the small clearing where the other girls were working.
"Wow, that was fast, Hinata!" Ino said, looking up with a smirk. "Did you manage to avoid looking at the boys? You look like you just finished running a race."
Hinata shook her head quickly, avoiding Ino's eyes. "No, no, I just... I got the fish." She carefully set the basket down next to Tenten, who immediately started preparing the new batch.
Sakura looked up, noticing the strange look on Hinata's face—the mixture of heat and quiet sadness. "Hinata? Is something wrong?"
Hinata took a deep breath, forcing herself to look directly at Sakura.
"Oh! Um... Sasuke-kun was just... he was leaving the water," Hinata explained slowly. "And he asked me to tell you something."
Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "Me? What did he say?"
Hinata swallowed hard and repeated the simple, crushing message.
"He said... when I brought the fish back, I should send you over."
A strange mix of looks passed through the girls. Ino's smirk returned, now tinged with teasing. Karin narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious. Tenten just gave a knowing, weary sigh.
Sakura, however, pushed the medical herbs aside and stood up quickly. Her face was serious.
"Okay. Thank you, Hinata," Sakura said, already brushing dirt from her clothes. "He is probably looking for something. I should go see what he needs."
Sakura turned and quickly headed toward the lake, leaving the fish and the apples behind.
The water fight ended when the cold air hit them. The boys climbed out quickly and walked a little way into the forest.
Sasuke was now sitting on a big, flat rock, wearing only his wet black shorts. He looked annoyed and ran his fingers through his wet hair to push the water out.
Mini Sasuke stood right next to him, shivering a little. Sasuke was busy carefully helping the small boy pull up his own black shorts over his wet skin.
Naruto, wearing only his wet green shorts, was wandering here and there in front of the rock, waving his arms and panicking.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Naruto muttered, looking down at his legs. "My pants are ruined! Everyone can see my legs! I don't know what to do!"
Sasuke paused, looking up at Naruto with a flat stare while holding Mini Sasuke's shorts in place. "Stop moving, Naruto. You will form a hole."
" Teme!! Here I am worried about being exposed! And you are worried about the land?!" Naruto cried, ignoring him and hopping on one foot.
"What kind of hero shows his full legs?! It's not cool! I'm going to catch a cold and then everyone will laugh at me!"
Mini Sasuke, now dressed in his shorts, found the whole thing hilarious. "Too late! I'm already laughing! You have skinny legs, Usurantokachi!"
"Shut up, you little....!" Naruto yelled back, still wandering around.
Suddenly, Naruto's face lit up with a brilliant idea. He quickly grabbed his soaking wet orange jacket from the ground nearby.
"Aha! I have a plan!" Naruto shouted triumphantly. He quickly tied the arms of his big, wet jacket tightly around his waist. The body of the jacket then hung down, covering his legs like a makeshift, slightly strange-looking orange skirt.
He stood up straight, feeling much better. "There! Problem solved! Now I look totally cool!"
Sasuke just looked at him, shaking his head slowly. "You look like a soggy pumpkin, but fine."
Just as Naruto finished adjusting his new 'skirt', a voice came from the forest path.
"Sasuke-kun? Are you here? Hinata said you needed me?"
It was Sakura.
The sudden appearance of Sakura made Naruto immediately stop showing off his jacket-skirt.
Sasuke, still sitting on the rock, looked straight at Sakura.
"Sakura," he said, his voice completely flat. "Yeah, where have you kept my clothes and my younger self's?"
Sakura didn't seem surprised by the demand. She walked over to a corner of the clearing, right beside the thick trunk of a tree. She bent down and picked up two items: Sasuke's black shirt and Mini Sasuke's small shirt.
She walked back to the boys and handed the clothes to them. "Here. I tried to keep them dry."
Sasuke took his shirt without a word. He stood up from the rock and quickly put it on. The black fabric helped hide his wetness and immediately made him look more like his usual, cool self.
Mini Sasuke grabbed his own small shirt. He was eager to put it on, but because he was wet and small, he struggled. He got one arm in, but the neck of the shirt was tight, and it got stuck over his head.
He lifted his free hand high into the sky, holding the stuck shirt, trying to shake it down over his face. He let out a small, frustrated sound.
Without even looking down, Sasuke reached out. He gently caught the top of the shirt that Mini Sasuke was holding up. He held the fabric steady and, with a quick, careful pull, helped Mini Sasuke guide his head through the neck hole and push his other arm into the sleeve.
Mini Sasuke looked up at his older self and gave a small, genuine smile of thanks.
"There," Sasuke muttered, completely ignoring Naruto, who was staring with his mouth open. "Now you don't freeze."
Sasuke finished helping Mini Sasuke with his shirt, the small action completed with quiet efficiency. He then fixed a flat stare on Naruto, who was still wearing his jacket tied comically around his waist, exposing his legs midway.
"Teme! You were actually nice for a second!" Naruto teased, waving a hand at the older Sasuke. "You're acting like… a big brother. What happened to the cold, lonely, genius act, huh? dattebayo?"
Sasuke's mouth twitched, barely perceptible. "I prevented a logistical problem. A freezing child is a liability. You, Usuratonkachi, are a liability regardless of temperature."
Mini Sasuke, now warm and feeling superior, pointed at Naruto's legs again. "He looks like a soggy carrot!"
"It is NOT a carrot!" Naruto yelled, taking the insult very seriously. He quickly untied his jacket, then immediately regretted it as a gust of cold air hit his skin. He folded his arms and shivered dramatically. "I'm freezing! And it's all Gejimayu's fault for using my one pair of pants as a scrubbing rag!"
Sakura stepped closer, a warm, genuine smile on her face that banished the chill. "Oh, Naruto, you're fine." She didn't have to explain that seeing them here, engaged in this familiar, ridiculous banter, felt like the most solid, comforting thing in the world.
"But you do need pants. Where did you leave the rest of your things?"
"I don't know!" Naruto whined, clutching Sasuke's arm. "Teme! My knees are a strategic weakness now! You have to protect my lower half dattebayo!"
Sasuke slowly looked down at the hand clamped on his arm, then at Naruto's terrified face.
"I told you I was logical, Usuratonkachi," Sasuke stated, completely deadpan. He grabbed Naruto's jacket collar and twisted it sharply. "If you want protection, go dry your pants. I am not babysitting your exposed limbs. Now move."
Naruto squeaked, instantly obeying and jumping backward. He looked at the forest with new resolve. "Fine! I'll find them! No one attacks my lower half dattebayo!" He ran off toward the lake direction, hopping slightly.
Mini Sasuke watched him go, then looked up at his older self with wide, impressed eyes. "You really know how to make him obey, Older Me!"
Sasuke merely shook his head, looking utterly resigned. Sakura watched the interaction, the quiet, genuine affection—even if it was cloaked in annoyance—filling her heart with warmth.
----
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Author's Note: The Big Brother and the Soggy Skirt 🤗
What a surprisingly warm and absolutely hilarious chapter this was! Sometimes, the biggest emotional moments aren't giant battles but small, perfect acts of annoyance and affection. And this chapter was filled with those perfect moments 🥺.
The title truly speaks to the heart of the comedy and the character development! On one side, we had "The Soggy Skirt" 🤣—Naruto's brilliant, yet utterly ridiculous, solution to his exposed lower half!
His panic about his "strategic weakness" and being called a "soggy carrot" 🥕 was classic, ridiculous Naruto, and it instantly brought back that familiar, comforting feeling of Team 7's banter.
But the true emotional core was "The Big Brother". Who expected Sasuke to be so... logical and quietly protective? Seeing him carefully help Mini Sasuke get his shirt on, treating the young boy's freezing as a "logistical problem" that needed solving, was a beautiful moment of unexpected tenderness. 🤗
It shows the deeper capacity for care beneath that cold Uchiha exterior, and it confirms that the Mini-Me is already successfully breaking through the armor! 🛡️
And of course, we can't overlook the quiet complexity of Hinata's heart 🙈. Her internal panic when facing the shirtless boys, the intense blush, and then the quiet, heavy sadness when she realized Sasuke only asked for Sakura—it was a deeply human moment that adds so much layer to her character's journey. 💖
This chapter gave us that much-needed dose of domestic comedy and affection before the serious talk begins. It truly felt like Team 7 was home, even if they aren't in Konoha! 🏡
What aspect of Sasuke's "Big Brother" moment did you enjoy writing the most?
TALK TO ME! 😎
Alright, shinobi! You just finished The Big Brother and the Soggy Skirt, a chapter full of unexpected heart and glorious absurdity! Let's unpack the chaos and the quiet emotions! 👇
First, let's talk about Sasuke's "Big Brother" Act! 🧊 Was he truly just focused on the "logistic of bare limbs" and preventing a liability, or do you think his action of gently helping Mini Sasuke with his shirt was a quiet, undeniable sign of genuine affection and care? What does this soft side mean for the cold Uchiha? 🤗
And the comedy! 😂 Naruto's jacket-skirt solution was absolutely ridiculous, and his panic about his knees being a "strategic weakness" was hilarious. Which part of the Soggy Skirt saga made you laugh the hardest? Do you think he's ever going to find his actual pants? 👖
Finally, the emotional weight of Hinata's Quiet Sadness 🥺. Seeing her overcome her shyness only to be told Sasuke needed Sakura felt heavy. She was willing to go to the boys, but was sadly pushed aside.
Do you think Hinata will ever be able to move past her own barriers and be direct, or is she destined to watch from the sidelines? 💖
Share your deepest thoughts and wildest theories! I can't wait to read what you think about this chapter! ✨
📜 TEASER FOR NEXT CHAPTER:
When the sun finally sets, and the day's stress gives way, 🛀
The cool, rushing water washes the weariness away. 🌸
Meanwhile, a meeting is called where the leaders must stand, 🤝
To face the new threats in this strange, hidden land. 🗺️
But as the plan is set and the final word is near,
One forbidden event is uttered, striking sudden fear. 😱
What dangerous secret does that single word hide?
The cost of that utterance, they can no longer avoid. 🔥
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"Don't tell me the Uchiha's massa—!"
'This idiot! How many times did I tell him to only mention the training ground! He just gave away our starting location!'
"I have called you here because I have to talk to you guys about something really important"
—
—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
----