You looked up to see Sasuke approaching, his hands stuffed into his pockets, expression as unreadable as ever. His dark eyes locked onto you, and for a brief moment, you wondered if he had news.

You didn't have to wait long to find out.

"You're in," he said simply.

You blinked. "Huh?"

Sasuke sighed, as if annoyed by having to repeat himself. "I arranged it. You're officially participating in the Chunin Exams."

The words took a second to register, but when they did, a wide grin spread across your face. "Really?!"

He nodded.

You jumped to your feet, excitement rushing through you. "That's amazing! I thought there'd be way more complications, but you actually—wait, how did you even make this happen?"

Sasuke ignored the question, casually glancing off to the side as if it wasn't worth explaining. "Does it matter?"

You crossed your arms, raising a brow. "I mean, yeah, it does. You don't just arrange things like this so easily. What did you do?"

He remained silent, and you could tell from the stubborn set of his jaw that he wasn't planning on answering.

You sighed in defeat. "Fine, keep your secrets. I'm just happy I get to participate."

Sasuke smirked slightly at your reaction before adding, "You're also assigned to a team."

That caught your attention. "Wait, I have a team?"

He nodded. "You're with me, Naruto, and Sakura."

You blinked. "Oh." Then, after a pause, "Ohhh!"

The idea of being on the same team as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura was both exciting and slightly overwhelming.

"You don't sound too thrilled," Sasuke noted, giving you a side glance.

"No, no! I am," you quickly corrected. "I was just... surprised, that's all."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's better this way. You'll have teammates you know instead of being thrown in with strangers."

That was true. You felt a little relieved knowing you wouldn't have to adjust to a completely new group.

"So, when do we start?" you asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow," he said. "Kakashi's going to brief us on the details in the morning."

Your excitement buzzed anew, but then a thought hit you. "Wait. That means I'll have to meet with you guys outside my field regularly."

Sasuke gave you a knowing look. "Which means you'll need to leave a clone behind. Think you can handle that?"

You scoffed. "Obviously."

"Good," he said, turning as if ready to leave. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."

You watched him walk away, feeling a surge of anticipation. You were really going to do this. You were officially part of a team.

As Sasuke disappeared into the distance, you looked down at the flowers in your hands. Your fingers tightened around the delicate petals.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

And you couldn't wait.

(509 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘋𝘚)