❝ welcome to my life ❞

she first joined Team 7. Among the team members, she only knew Kakashi. So, when the jounin left, it could be said that it was really awkward. Her new teammates have known each other since their academy days. And Shizuka, who only had one year at the academy, didn't have time to get acquainted with other people. To be precise, she was a quiet, stoic, and reserved individual making her hard to start a conversation.

So at that time when she was alone, with her three teammates talking about something. She didn't really mind that. The girl was used to different team members over the years she was a ninja. And until now, she still doesn't know her old teammates.

So now, after three years that they had separated to practice individually, they had gathered again. At the same place. With the hope of remaining the same team (Shizuka doesn't want to admit it). Even without one more member.

Shizuka's eyes sharpened, staring straight at the two bells that were in the pocket of Kakashi's trousers. The man talks about how they have to get the two bells to pass. One person, one bell. And since there were three of them, one of them would fail.

Wait.

"I see," Shizuka pushes her glasses up. Realizing the purpose behind the test.

"You already noticed?!" he praised her. His eyes twinkled in awe. "As expected of Shi-chan!"

"Shut up, Naruto."

And the test begins. Starting with the three of them fighting Kakashi with martial arts. They kicked, hit, and blocked. Three on one. And when Naruto took out a kunai and intended to scratch him, Kakashi let out a cloud of smoke, making Naruto scratch a piece of wood.

"Kawarimi?"

Everyone stop. Trying to find the whereabouts of Kakashi who just disappeared. Naruto and Shizuka jumped up, at the same time as Sakura punched the ground with all her might. The ground cracked and turned to rubble. And they could see Kakashi who was hiding in the ground.

"Wind Release: vacuum bullets!" Naruto takes a deep breath and then exhales several small blasts of wind chakra towards Kakashi immediately.

"Earth Release: Earth Raising Wall!" Kakashi slapped his palm towards the ground, blocking Naruto's attack. Then he immediately spun around to avoid Sakura's sudden punch.

"Fire release: Great Fireball Technique!" Shizuka exhales a powerful fire, targeting it to Kakashi as Sakura jumped away.

"Water release: Violent Water Wave!" Kakashi exhales water to collided with Shizuka's fire. Creating steam that covered the training ground. "Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!"

As the name suggests, spikes of stone protrude from the ground. Sakura and Shizuka jumped to dodge, while Naruto jumped forward while making hand seals. "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" Naruto inhales air and then rotates his body while expelling arcs of cutting wind. Cutting all of the stone spikes.

Shizuka widened her eyes. She did not think that Naruto would master the wind element. Especially with a high-level jutsu like that.

"Good job, Naruto," Kakashi praised, giving him a nod.

The said teen grinned. Feeling proud of himself after hearing that. "Hehe. This is the result I trained for three years, dattebayou!"

"Don't brag," Shizuka bluntly said. Giving him a flat stare.

"Aw, don't be jealous that Kakashi-sensei praised me first, Shi-chan!" he waved off, clearly grinning at her. Puffing out his chest.

Her eyebrow twitched. "Tch, why would I be jealous about that?" she pushes up her glasses. "and there's nothing special to be praised by Kakashi."

"Rude!"

Then a boom sounded, followed by the ground shaking for several seconds. Successfully made them both stop and turn towards the source. There, Sakura stood up from her kneeled position. Waved her hand which just hit the ground. And Kakashi had already jumped several meters from his starting position.

Next to Shizuka, Naruto was already pale and sweat was pouring from his body. "Note to self, do no ever and ever anger Sakura."

The green haired girl took a slow breath to return her focus. Then make a snake hand seal. "Wood release: Smothering Binding Technique," Shizuka's arm transforms into several wood tendrils and charges towards Kakashi who did not have time to get surprised by the element used.

The silver haired man tried to dodge it, but Shizuka's wood was faster and got him captured. Then he looked up quickly when he heard a familiar voice. There, Naruto jumped, with a blue ball like chakra on his dominant hand.

"Rasengan!" Naruto slammed it down while Sakura secretly stole the bells from the silver haired jounin.

Kakashi gasped in shock as he felt the rasengan slammed to the wood near his body. It was so close, and Kakashi could still feel his nervousness, even though the attack didn't hit his body at all. The attack was only intended to make him even more shocked and catching him off guard.

The wood that bound Kakashi broke and he could feel his body again. His hand immediately went to his pants, surprised when he didn't feel the bell was there. And when he looked up, Sakura and Naruto were grinning, showing off the two bells to him, while Shizuka was silent.

"So Shizuka bound me so I couldn't move, and Naruto used the rasengan as a surprise attack and made me off guard," Kakashi pointed out, shoving his hands inside his pockets. " And at that moment, Sakura ducked in to take the bell from me. Good tactic. But you guys know that each has one, right? One of you must fail."

"No way!!" Naruto screamed, crossing his arms.

"We are a team, so we have to do it together," explained Sakura with a determined expression. "So we will pass together or fail together. No one left behind."

"Those who break the rules are scum," Shizuka spoke, pushing up her glasses. "but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

Kakashi didn't know how many times he would be surprised today. Starting from Naruto's physical changes, Naruto's surprising wind element mastery, Sakura's amazing physical strength, Shizuka who apparently can use wood elements, and their words earlier. Jeez, he's sure he can die in peace now. He felt so touched and proud now.

"I'm really starting to like you!"

.

.

.

"What the?!!!"

"Don't say weird things like that, you freak!"

"Oha Asa always right."

○○○

"Ah .... my body is so sore!!" Sakura whined as she stretched her body. Her green emerald eyes looked around the restaurant they currently in, feeling the girls' gaze fixed on their team. To be more precise, to Naruto.

She was still very much couldn't believe his changes of appearance. During these three years, what has he been doing? Did he meet a beautician on his trip?

"Naruto, you realize that they are looking at you, right?" she turned to the side, seeing Naruto who was giving his lazy but seductive smile towards them. Successfully made the girls scream.

"It's creeping me out, actually," muttered Naruto, scratching his neck with a sigh. "Why are they like that anyway?"

This guy is so dense that I want to punch his pretty face.

"Welcome to my life," said Kakashi, his gaze fixed on the lines of his new novel.

"Kakashi-sensei, you too?!" Sakura exclaimed. Well, she can't lie anyway. But Kakashi is indeed handsome even though three-quarters of his face is covered.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Kakashi deadpanned. Then he glanced at the green haired girl who had been silent all this time. Her hands were busy tended her nails. "Shizuka, explain to me why you have the wood element?"

All of them turned at the said teen. Intrigued to her explanation. "The Midorima clan has the wood element kekkei genkai. But like the Senju clan, it's still rare. Only once every 100 years. And it happens to be me."

"Why are you using it now?" asked Kakashi curiously. As long as he teamed up with Shizuka, he had never seen her use it.

"Sandaime-sama told me to keep it a secret. Until I can really master it," she answered. " because he believes the enemy will chase me if they find out."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "You're right," she agreed. "Wait, so the reason you trained for three years was to master your wood element?"

"Yes."

Their conversation ended when the food they ordered arrived. Kakashi with his salt-broiled saury, Shizuka with her red bean soup, Naruto with his cold soba (he only wants to eat Ichiraku's ramen), and Sakura with her Shiratama Anmitsu.

Kakashi lowered his head and whispered. "Now I know why Sandaime-sama appointed you to watch over Naruto."