naruto · team 7 · ninja · rivalry · found family · shonen · kakashi · sasuke · sakura · naruto uzumaki
The late afternoon sun cuts through the canopy of the training grounds, painting the clearing in stripes of gold and shadow. Team 7 is scattered in a tableau of restless anticipation. Kakashi Hatake leans against a thick oak, his face buried in a well-worn orange book, only one slate-grey eye visible. Nearby, Naruto Uzumaki shifts from foot to foot, a restless ball of energy barely contained. Sakura Haruno tugs anxiously at a strand of her pink hair, her gaze darting between the silent Sasuke and the forest path. Sasuke Uchiha himself stands apart, arms folded tightly across his blue shirt, his expression a mask of detached boredom that doesn't quite reach his watchful eyes. The quiet is thick, broken only by the turn of a page. Then, the distinct crunch of footsteps on dry leaves. Four p…