"Alright, the test is over."Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at his three students.
"Finally!"Naruto flopped on the ground with a loud sigh.
"That was intense…" Sakura said as she sat down beside him, wiping sweat from her forehead.
But Sasuke stood still, eyes fixed on Kakashi.
"I want to test myself alone," Sasuke said.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked.
"You sure?" Kakashi tilted his head.
"I didn't use the serpent seal yet. I want to see what I can really do with it." Sasuke nodded and said.
"Alright. Go all out. Use the seal." Kakashi gave a small smile.
"Get ready." Sasuke stepped forward.
"Be careful." Sakura looked at him with concern.
"Tch. Always showing off…" Naruto sat up.
Sasuke breathed in, then sent chakra to his seal. The seal on his neck glowed like a coiled snake with wings, its fangs forming a circle.
The air shifted.
His chakra spiked. Black Scales appeared on his arms, and small wings formed on his back. His eyes glowed red, and his speed increased.
"WHAT?!" Naruto's jaw dropped.
Sasuke vanished from sight.
Kakashi blocked just in time. The impact made a shockwave.
"Good. But not enough." Kakashi grinned.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and jumped back. Lightning flickered in his hand.
He formed a Vanishing Rasengan and threw it. Kakashi dodged it by feeling the air twist. Kakashi once again tasted the difficulty of this technique which even Byakugan couldn't see. But Kakashi could still feel the shift in the air.
Sasuke came from behind, his speed boosted. He kicked, punched, and used a burst of wind to spin in the air.
"That seal… It really boosts everything." Kakashi blocked with one hand. He was tempted to engrave the serpent seal on himself, but when he thought of that seal he was working on, he immediately threw this idea out of his head.
Sasuke's wings spread wide. He flew above and dropped down fast with a Chidori. Kakashi moved aside and grabbed Sasuke in mid-air, slamming him down.
Sasuke coughed but smirked.
"I'm not done."
He activated the second stage of the seal. More scales formed, his chakra rose again, and his eyes sharpened.
"This isn't fair! I want wings too!" Naruto stood up and pointed.
"Maybe if you stop eating so much ramen." Anko, who had just arrived, laughed from the side.
"Hey! Ramen is life!" Naruto said.
Sakura giggled as she watched.
Sasuke went in again. This time Kakashi used Shiden, lightning running through his arm as he clashed with Sasuke in mid-air. The blast shook the ground, and the wind scattered leaves everywhere.
They landed a few feet apart, breathing hard.
"That's enough." Kakashi smiled.
Sasuke slowly let the seal fade. The wings vanished, and his chakra calmed.
"Kakashi-sensei! That's not fair! Why does he get a cool winged snake like that, and I don't?!" Naruto stomped over.
"Because you'd probably blow something up before learning how to use it." Kakashi turned to him.
However, Kakashi didn't do it because of Kurama. He probably would mess with the seal and make trouble for Naruto.
"Tch… I am very careful." Naruto grumbled.
"I know that. But that one in your stomach isn't as friendly." Kakashi said as he tapped his seal, reinforcing it once again.
"Damn, fox!" Naruto muttered as he touched his stomach.
"That was good. I feel stronger." Sasuke looked at Kakashi.
"You are. But don't get cocky. That seal is powerful, but it's still new." Kakashi nodded.
"I understand." Sasuke nodded.
"You all did well today." Kakashi looked at all of them.
"I still want a seal…" Naruto mumbled.
"Too bad, whiskers." Anko patted his head.
Kakashi chuckled as he walked toward the house.
"Come on, let's eat. You all earned it." As they had been here nearly all afternoon and it was time for dinner.
Sasuke smiled slightly as he followed Kakashi.
….
The table was packed with food, grilled fish, rice, dumplings, stew, and Anko's favorite, dango. Kurenai smiled as she placed the last bowl on the table. "Alright, everything's ready."
"Finally! I'm starving!" Anko was already seated, chopsticks in hand.
"No way you're eating more than me!" Naruto jumped into the seat across from her.
"Wanna bet, whiskers?" Anko smirked, challenging him.
"You're on!" Naruto squinted.
They both shouted, "Itadakimasu!" and dove into the food like wild animals. Plates clinked, bowls moved, and the sound of furious chewing echoed.
"You're both going to choke if you keep that up." Sakura sat beside Naruto and gave an awkward laugh.
"Mmphph!" Naruto looked at her with cheeks puffed full of rice.
"That means he's scared he's losing." Anko grinned.
"What?! No way!"Naruto quickly gulped.
"Children…" Sakura rolled her eyes and carefully placed food on her plate.
"You guys sure know how to make a dinner exciting." Kakashi sat calmly, sipping tea.
"I think we should start calling these mealtimes 'war zones.'" Kurenai chuckled as she leaned against his side.
Sasuke sat on the other side of the table, slowly eating. He didn't say much, but he watched the chaos with amusement.
Ranmaru sat quietly beside him, copying his calm manner, though his eyes sparkled watching Naruto and Anko fight over a dumpling.
"I SAW THAT FIRST!" Naruto shouted, trying to grab it.
Anko growled. "Too slow, kid!" and snatched it up with her chopsticks, tossing it into her mouth in one bite.
"This is unfair… I'm outnumbered…" Naruto slumped.
"You started the war," Sakura muttered, sipping soup.
"Victory."Anko stuck out her tongue.
"If I had wings like Sasuke, I'd fly over the table and steal everything!" Naruto suddenly stood.
"You're still on that?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"You'd crash into the ceiling," Kakashi smirked.
"Or knock over all the food." Kurenai nodded.
"You're all bullies…" Naruto pouted and sat back down.
Ranmaru giggled softly, hiding his smile behind his sleeve.
"You're just not fast enough." Sasuke glanced at Kakashi, then said,
"Oh really?! I'll train all night!" That made Naruto's eyes blaze.
"Please don't," Sakura said, rubbing her temples.
Anko reached for the last piece of grilled fish, but Naruto's hand zoomed in.
They both froze.
"Don't." Kakashi looked at them.
Naruto and Anko slowly backed away from the fish.
"Dessert?"Kurenai clapped her hands.
"YES!" Naruto and Anko shouted together.
Kurenai brought out a tray of sweet buns, and the battle resumed.
As the evening went on, the loud chewing turned to laughter. Sakura told a story about Naruto tripping into the river during training.
Naruto denied it. Sasuke actually laughed once, shocking everyone. Anko almost spat her tea from laughing, and Ranmaru smiled widely like he belonged there.
Kakashi sat back, watching it all.
Family dinners never felt like this before.
He glanced at Sasuke, who was eating calmly, but the peace in his eyes said everything.
This was good.