Fate is a tricky thing. Sometimes, just the smallest overlap of paths is enough for separate stories to suddenly tangle together.
Three people… meeting at the same crossroads.
"Ino?! Sakura?!""You two…?"
Tenten froze in place, staring at Ino and Sakura walking side by side. Her expression was a mix of shock and confusion.
"Tenten?!"
Ino and Sakura stopped together, eyes widening in unison, their voices overlapping perfectly.
"You're here to see Haruba too?"
Tenten crossed her arms, gave a sharp "hmph," and tilted her chin upward in a perfectly tsundere way.
"Hmph. I came to practice shuriken throwing with Haruba."
She had every reason to be here — a perfectly legitimate reason. Besides, Haruba used to have only her as a friend. Every day, it was just the two of them together.
And now? These two suddenly popped up out of nowhere, stealing away her time with him — or as she preferred to frame it, her "training" time.
Ino and Sakura were perfectly aware that Shirayuki Haruba spent most of his free hours with Tenten. She'd been training shuriken-throwing with him long before either of them showed up.
By that logic… they were the latecomers.
Not that either Ino or Sakura would ever admit Tenten was the one Haruba preferred to be with. In their eyes, Tenten was just using her family's ninja tools shop as leverage — buying Haruba's time with her family's wealth.
After all, wasn't it proof enough that Haruba still hung out with them without being "paid"?
"I'm going to be training with Haruba later, so you two shouldn't bother us," Tenten declared proudly, before striding toward Haruba's house.
"Tch!" ×2
Ino and Sakura gritted their teeth in sync.
But instead of backing down, they both broke into a sprint, blasting past Tenten and heading straight for Haruba's place.
"Hey! Don't you two dare—!"
Tenten's voice rose in outrage as she watched them speed past. But when she saw how close they were getting, she panicked, picked up her pace, and chased after them.
By the time she arrived, Ino was already knocking on the door.
"Haruba! Haruba! Sakura and I came to see you!"
They couldn't see inside — they were too short — but from the sounds inside, they could tell someone was definitely home.
"Huff… huff…""You two… you…""I was here first!"
Tenten was slightly out of breath from the run, glaring at the pair like she wished she could throw a kunai at each of them.
"Pfft—"
Ino stuck out her tongue and made a face.
"First here means first here."
"You—!"
Tenten was about to fire back when the sound of the gate opening caught all three girls' attention.
The person who stepped out wasn't Haruba, but a purple-haired woman in a white dress.
"Oh? I didn't expect to see you three little ones."
Uzuki Yugao's gentle, neighborly smile didn't quite reach her eyes — her narrowed gaze made it impossible to guess what she was actually thinking.
And truth be told… seeing these three together gave her an inexplicable wave of irritation.
Ino, Sakura, Tenten…
It was that particular irritation of watching the "cabbage" you'd carefully tended in your own garden suddenly being eyed by outsiders.
Little Haruba really did attract too much attention.
While Yugao's mind wandered, the three girls quickly bowed.
"Good afternoon, Yugao-neechan!" ×3
They all knew her. Whenever they came to find Haruba, they often ran into her — and everyone knew she looked after him like an older sister.
Still, no matter how kind and gentle she seemed, the three of them couldn't shake the faint chill and pressure they felt whenever her eyes rested on them.
Yugao snapped out of her thoughts and smiled faintly.
"Come in."
Turning gracefully, she walked back toward the house, her long purple hair swaying like blooming violets.
"Okay…" ×3
The girls exchanged glances, then followed obediently.
But their excitement had dimmed considerably.
What they'd imagined as a carefree day playing with Haruba suddenly felt… restricted. Like trying to have fun with a parent sitting right beside you — you just couldn't fully let go.
Still, the gloom lifted a little when they finally saw Haruba.
In the courtyard, Shirayuki Haruba looked up just as three small whirlwinds of energy tumbled inside. He had already heard the commotion, and raised a hand to greet them.
"You guys—"
"Haruba, why haven't you come to practice shuriken with me these past few days?""Haruba, do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"
Tenten and Ino spoke at the exact same time, their overlapping voices making Haruba's head ache instantly.
Even Yugao frowned faintly, her irritation deepening.
Sakura, who had been quiet since entering, noticed. She silently thanked her own restraint — at least she hadn't jumped in like the other two.
It wasn't that she didn't want to ask why Haruba hadn't been spending time with her. She simply knew that after Tenten and Ino had already demanded answers, her asking too would be meaningless.
Compared to the other two, Sakura knew she lacked any advantage in personality, talent, or looks.
Right now she was still in a timid, self-conscious phase — she hadn't yet had the "friendship breakup" fight with Ino that would push her to be bolder.
So instead of charging in, she chose to keep a sweet, gentle image — both in Haruba's eyes and Yugao's.
Once Tenten and Ino exhausted themselves fighting over him, she'd quietly make her move.
Well… sorry, Ino. That's just how "girlfriend wars" go.
So when Haruba's gaze shifted toward her, he saw Sakura standing demurely behind the other two, a bright smile on her face.
Her short pink hair and red ribbon made her look especially playful and cute.
Before Haruba could say a word, Yugao answered for him.
"Haruba's been busy with ninjutsu training lately. That's why he hasn't had time to play."
Leaning on one hand, she gave them a slightly troubled smile.
"And right now, he's at a critical stage in his training. If you want to play with him… I'm afraid this isn't the best time."
"Huh?""How much longer will it take?"
Tenten and Ino's faces fell instantly. Sakura's smile faded as well, lips pursed in disappointment.
A glint of cunning flashed in Yugao's eyes, and the corners of her lips curved upward in quiet satisfaction.
"That's hard to say. It all depends on when Haruba succeeds."