Tokyo Tempest

Part XVI: From where I can see you

Previous Chapter Summary: Sasuke and Sakura enter the first day of festival preparations. To the group's surprise, the Uchiha joins back in on the costume committee, ultimately winning their acceptance back with the materials he had managed to swipe thanks to Ari and Mako. On a mission to exchange some fabric, Sakura manages to find a job at the place Sasuke had gone to on the weekend.. only to find out that Orochimaru is now her boss.

A/N: Despite a little bit shorter than usual, another super fun chapter to write! This is mainly in Sasuke's POV.

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

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The Uchiha wove the last stitch in his fabric, pulling the piece into its final form. After finally finishing his get-up after what seemed like days, he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes to rest momentarily. When he thought about it, he could've opted to use his actual clothes for this festival instead. That is, if they weren't utterly tattered from the war prior to landing here.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is D-day.

When he peered his lids back open, he took a glance around the busy classroom, realizing that the pink-haired girl was nowhere to be found. He hadn't seen much of her for the past few days ever since festival planning started. She was needed by almost everyone and everywhere. By the time he went to work after school and got home, she was already asleep in the bedroom.

He glanced down at his costume, staring at it briefly before deciding he might as well look for further instructions. Hastily, he shifted himself up from the ground and exited into the hallway.

As of today, the raven-haired boy wasn't sure if he had been going to a school or a commoner's market. Left and right, classroom doors were decorated in bizarre ways that urged visitors into their rooms, with colourful signs and posters all around its vicinity. Where is she? Sasuke pondered as he continued to stroll down the busy hallway.

He didn't have much trouble locating her initially, as his eyes immediately caught sight of the viridian-eyed girl at the end of the hall conversing with a student from their class. Just as he took a step forward and opened his mouth to call out to her, a body threw itself messily in front of his tracks, blocking the view of his destination.

Sasuke clenched his jaw, displeased at the interruption. Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked the Uchiha in the eye with a panicked expression. In his hand was a mysterious, giant black garbage bag.

"Sasuke, my dude." The shadow user dropped the bag onto the floor with a soft thud and daringly clutched the sides of the Uchiha's shoulders in a tight grasp. "Please- help a brother out."

"You're not my brother." Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru's hard grip, then peered behind the shadow users' shoulder and frowned at the disappearance of the pink-haired girl. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the serious nature of his response.

Giving up, the raven-haired boy returned his gaze to his panicked classmate. "-What do you want?"

"Listen, I just got a call and I'm about to get in some real deep crap with my mom. If I don't make it home in the next five minutes, I may not live to attend the festival tomorrow."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the shadow user, watching as Shikamaru then bent to pick up the giant black garbage bag from the ground and subsequently shoved it into the Uchiha's chest.

"In here, lies Shuri-kun. Shuri-kun, Sasuke. Sasuke, Shuri-kun." He introduced, "He's cute, fun, a little bit angsty but great with people."

Sasuke stared at the bag in his chest for awhile longer, not quite understanding what the shadow user was getting at. And what's with that terrible pun?