About

The sun hung high over the Hidden Sand Village, turning the stone streets golden as the familiar sounds of training echoed across the village. I had been looking forward to today all week. Days off were rare, and whenever I got one, there was only one place I wanted to go—the Sand Village. Tamari had become one of my closest friends over the years. Whenever I visited, we trained, talked, laughed, and usually ended up getting into some kind of trouble together. But there was one person who could ruin my peaceful visit within five minutes. Kankuro. And, unfortunately, he was usually there. I walked onto the training grounds already dressed for the occasion, wearing my Leaf shinobi gear with my hair pulled back, ready to train. Tamari spotted me first. Her face immediately lit up. “Finally!” she called, dropping her weapon and hurrying over. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming!” I laughed and hugged her. “You know I wouldn’t miss it.” A few feet away, Kankuro was in the middle of training with his puppets. He heard my voice. His movements stopped. Slowly, he looked over. His eyes traveled over my outfit, taking in the fact that I was already dressed to train. For a second, he just stared. Then he immediately rubbed his face with one hand like I had personally inconvenienced him by showing up. “Unbelievable.” I raised an eyebrow. “What’s unbelievable?” “You.” I put my hands on my hips. “I just got here.” “Exactly.” Tamari sighed. “Here we go.” I walked toward him with a smirk. “Miss me, Kankuro?” He scoffed. “Not even a little.” “Liar.” “Delusional.” “Grumpy.” “Annoying.” Tamari watched the entire exchange with the most knowing expression imaginable. “You two are exhausting.” “We’re not doing anything,” I said immediately. Kankuro crossed his arms. “Exactly. Nothing.” Tamari snorted. “Right.” Kankuro turned toward his training equipment, trying to hide the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You here to train or just stand there looking pretty?” I blinked. Tamari slowly turned toward him. Kankuro realized what he’d just said. His eyes widened slightly. I grinned. “Oh?” “Don’t.” “You think I look pretty?” “I said nothing.” “You absolutely said something.” “I was insulting you.” “That wasn’t an insult.” His face reddened slightly beneath the dark paint. “Just get ready to train.” I laughed and walked past him. “Whatever you say, puppet boy.”