NOVPUB
Chapter 66 - 66. THAT'S SASUKE?!!
◉◉◉◉◉
Naruto blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then, finally, with exaggerated realization, pointed at Sasuke and exclaimed, "Ohhh! Got it! You must be Sasuke's little sister!"
The entire group fell silent.
"...Where's Sasuke then?" Naruto continued, tilting his head. "I mean, if his sister's here—"
THWACK!
"Idiot."
Shikamaru sighed as Sakura calmly walked up and decked Naruto into the dirt.
"Ugh... wh-what was that for?" Naruto groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up.
"You didn't need to do that, Sakura," Sasuke said gently from the side. "It's not his fault."
Naruto's brows furrowed.
Why is Sasuke's sister defending me like she knows me...?
Then—
Plip.
A tear hit the ground near him.
Naruto turned, stunned.
Sakura stood with her head lowered, silent tears falling down her face.
She didn't speak, didn't scream. Just cried.
"...That's Sasuke," Shikamaru said, crossing his arms. "Figure it out already."
Naruto's entire body stiffened.
"Wha—"
He slowly turned back toward the long-haired girl standing beside Sakura. The same clothes. The same aura. The same eyes, now red with the remnants of the Sharingan.
That's...
"THAT'S SASUKE?!"
His brain screeched to a halt.
He mentally replayed every stupid thing he'd just said.
Oh no.
Oh no.
He scrambled to his knees.
"I'm sorry! Sakura, Sasuke, I'm so sorry!"
Gone was the goofy smile, replaced by real regret. For once, Naruto was serious.
"Some things shouldn't be jokes," he said quietly. "And I messed up. I really did."
Sakura wiped her tears and shook her head. "I should be the one apologizing. I lashed out without explaining anything."
With mutual nods, the three finally sat together, a brief moment of calm returning.
Though...
Naruto couldn't stop glancing at Sasuke.
No matter how hard he tried not to.
And it was making him twitch uncontrollably like someone had tied him to a chair and told him not to think about ramen for 24 hours.
"Looks like you're finally back to normal."
Neji's cool voice cut through the peace.
Naruto flinched like he'd been electrocuted.
That voice.
That cursed voice.
The same voice that haunted his dreams and interrupted his naps.
Neji knelt behind him, placing a glowing green palm on his back [Healing Jutsu] already active.
Warm. Too warm. Oh god, it's him.
Neji Hyuga.
The literal nightmare of Naruto's academy years.
He screamed inside.
"Thank you again, Neji-senpai," Sakura said, bowing politely. "If you hadn't shown up, we might not have made it."
"It's fine," Neji said flatly. "This exam clearly isn't normal. The proof is in what happened."
He finished patching Naruto, then turned to Sasuke.
"I want to check your body. The Curse Mark and the gender shift, you need to understand what's changed."
Sasuke hesitated, but nodded.
"I'd appreciate that."
Neji placed a hand on her shoulder, his chakra scanning deep within.
Sasuke remained calm. She respected Neji. His precision, his power, it wasn't lost on her.
Since her clan's massacre, she had craved structure, discipline. And Neji... embodied both.
Neji's brow furrowed slightly as he focused on the Curse Mark.
Then, after a few more seconds, he pulled his hand away.
"The transformation is complete. You're entirely physically female. No signs of hormonal or biological instability."
The others looked stunned.
Sakura tried to smile through it. "But... that Orochimaru guy said he could change her back, right? There must be a way."
"Yeah," Ino jumped in. "There's gotta be some reversal method!"
But Sasuke said nothing. She already knew. She had made peace with it.
Neji stood.
"Let's be honest. Right now, we're still in the middle of the Chūnin Exams. That's the real priority."
He looked around.
"And since no proctor has stopped us, that tells me two things:"
"One, no one noticed what happened."
"Or two..." Neji's eyes narrowed. "They did notice and chose not to intervene."
Everyone fell silent.
"I found multiple surveillance seals in the forest. They know. That means this test is still on."
There was a collective breath of relief. Finally, something simple, a test they could finish.
"Then let's wrap this up," Neji added. "You're all on your own from here. No more team-ups."
"Agreed," Shikamaru nodded.
The groups dispersed quickly.
Sasuke stood quietly by a tree when Naruto turned and started mumbling behind her.
"H-Hey! I wasn't looking at you like that!"
He flailed awkwardly.
"You're not even cute! I mean, you are cute, but it's not like I noticed! I don't care at all!"
Sakura twitched.
Here we go again.
WHAM!
Naruto was launched backward once more, a brand-new bump forming on his skull.
Now sulking in the dirt, he muttered to himself while drawing spirals with a stick.
"Hmph. So what if Sasuke's a little prettier now... not like I care..."
◉◉◉◉◉
~Uploading Schedule= 2 Chapters/day
~Support with 100 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced Chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!
