It was the next day. I propped myself up, scowled at Emosuke looking down on me, face stormy. He looked even more angry for having taken me down. It didn’t change that the brat tried to burn my face, again. This time, I dodged the ball of fire, which didn’t help when he kicked my feet under me. At least today he didn’t push further than that. I mean, I did kick him in the nuts last time he tried to push too far. Serves him right.

Again, it didn’t matter. Today I was on a mission. Most of the class already left, my target almost lost among the gaggle. A quick pat down to clear most of the dust and make my hair presentable, and off I was after the blonde.

I approached, tapped her shoulder, showed her my board when she looked at me. “Can we talk?”

Her pale blue eyes narrowed. “About?”

“You and Sakura-chan.” I wrote back. Her face soured. I pushed on. “It’s dumb to end your friendship because of a silly fight.”

“Dumb?” Ino raised an eyebrow. “Are you calling me dumb?”

I shook my head, scribbled furiously. “The fight is dumb. Not you.”

Ino huffed, folded her arms. “Sakura started it when she decided she was my rival.”

My early annoyance with Emosuke spiked. I wished past me hadn’t been so restrained and taught the brat a lesson. I decided to try a different track. “You both seem unhappy. I remember how close you were.”

For a moment, Ino’s facade cracked. Her eyes were full of pain. But she squared her shoulder, flipped her hair. “She’ll have to apologize first. I’m not giving up on Sasuke-kun just because she decided she now likes him too.”

I sighed. Well, damn. I didn’t want to push this. Was Fate-kun playing against me here? But I wasn’t willing to just leave it be. I crossed my arms, gave her a flat look. My stare said what my words couldn’t.

Ino was the first to look away. She let out an exaggerated groan. “Fine, I’ll consider it. But only because you asked.”

I flashed Best Girl Ino my biggest smile. “Thank you, Ino-chan.” I wrote. To sweeten the deal, I popped out a box of cupcakes. Presented my offering. Ino took them grudgingly but popped one into her mouth immediately. Same experiment with the coconut-like fruit flavor.

“There are good,” she mumbled, mouth full of frosting.

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Sayuri-sensei had somehow commandeered one of the nearby parks for the music event. Under her insistence, I invited everyone I knew: Neighbors, the GGC, the class, the academy sensei. I even invited the Old Man Hokage and “Wolf-san”. Secretary-chan, unfortunately, couldn't leave her post. Shame.

I adjusted my koto stand, watching the civilians trickling in. There were… a lot more than what I invited. Had Sayuri-sensei spread the word around as well? A few shinobi lounged in nearby trees or perched on rooftops. Making sure this wasn’t a trap? I couldn’t blame them, this looked sus as hell even for me.

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“Your positioning is off,” Sayuri-sensei said. She pushed my koto to an unseen line to the left. Her eyes had that intense gleam again. I shivered. Was she excited or plotting to kill someone? “Don’t forget the choreography.”

I held up my board. My ears burned. “Are we really doing that performance?”

Sensei looked around, at the gathering people. She smiled. “Of course.”

Damn my younger self for teaching this monster the dance moves. I wasn’t keen on imitating Goddess Gaga’s dance moves in front of a crowd.

The big guy with the taiko drums placed his hit behind us while the kid took center stage with Sensei, the housewife with the biwa opposite me.

The crowd, mostly civilian families and children, grew by the minute. I spotted a few enterprising people setting up food stalls. Among them was the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen, while his daughter sat on a picnic blanket by his side. A few other students showed up. I saw Naruto, Kiba, a few of the Numbers. Emosuke didn’t show up. A few moments after the performance started, the whole of GGC arrived, dragging a cohort of laughing, running, and snotty brats behind them. Oh god, I wasn’t going to live this one down, was I?

When the performance started, most of the shinobi population scattered almost immediately. Many more popped in for a few minutes, gave skeptical glances, and then wandered off, shaking heads. I could practically hear the “pointless nonsense” complaints from them.

Sayuri-sensei's voice carried through the park. She belted out my modified lyrics, and I had to admit, she made them sound better than they had any right to be. The bodybuilder-looking shinobi got into the taiko drumming, it was almost like mini explosions were going off just behind me. The housewife with the biwa turned out to have some serious skills. The boy was like a machine, clapping his pair of Kane with the rhythm.

The first song was the ANBU parody, which was a crowd-pleaser. Sayuri-sensei’s voice was melodic despite her stern demeanor, carrying the humor in the lyrics. The many kids in the crowd loved it. From among the crowd, I saw Kiyo-Obacchan's calculating look toward me. I suppressed a shiver. Oh god. I was seriously screwed here. The rest of the GGC wasn’t better. Muttering and talking among themselves.

Midway through the second song “Explode It Off” – Sensei having dragged me from behind the safety of my koto to perform the dance moves with her – I caught a glimpse of a familiar pink head. Sakura stood near the edge of the park, arms wrapped around herself. Her face was a mix of embarrassment and fascination. Not far, Ino had a similar expression, munching on another cupcake from the ones I’d given her. I noticed that they were still ignoring each other.

The performance ended with my version of Ninja Face, Sayuri-sensei, holding the last note on her shakuhachi. The applause was scattered but genuine.

I bowed along with the others, and soon, I was off that small stage. I was somewhat giddy and flushed. That had been terrifying. My part in this mess ended there, but Sayuri-sensei and her gang weren’t ready to stop. They took up more music; not pop songs like I have taught them, but clearly inspired by it. The crowd, somehow, had increased even more.

It had started as a small gathering, but now it looked almost like a festival, without all the normal decorations that usually accompany these events. The civvies, kids, and grandmas, at least, seemed to be having fun. On the stage, Sayuri-sensei and her gang shone like they were living their best lives.

I approached Ino and Sakura, held my board for both to see. “Did you enjoy it?” I wrote, smiling despite my nerves.

Sakura hesitated. “It was… interesting.”

Ino grinned. “You were the best part, Hinata-chan. Was that some type of strange new martial art?”

I rolled my eyes, but the smile hadn’t left my face. I wrote. “Maybe we should try something like this together?”

They exchanged glances, and for a moment, I thought they might agree. But then Sakura’s face darkened. “I’m not doing anything with her.”

“Same here,” Ino snapped.

I sighed. So much for the duo making up. I waved at them, left, plotting new ways to mend their friendship. Maybe I should try a tea party next time?

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Next kunoichi class, Sayuri-sensei was gone. An old shinobi was there to teach us the “proper way” to use the instruments. Yikes. I guess some people really didn’t like music.