The Second Girls journey in Naruto

In a room filled with pink decor, Kihana Sakiya lay sprawled on her bed, her blankets in complete disarray.

Thump, thump, thump—

Click—

The door opened, revealing Kihana Sakinoko standing at the entrance, looking at her daughter with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Wake up, Sakiya."

Sakiya barely reacted. She opened her eyes just enough to glimpse the familiar ceiling, then promptly rolled over, burying herself deeper in the blankets.

Sakinoko sighed, already knowing how this would go.

"It's almost time to leave."

Sakiya groaned softly, hugging her blanket like an octopus and rubbing her face against it.

"Hnnn~"

Sakinoko mentally squealed at how cute her daughter looked but kept a straight face. She had enjoyed the sight long enough—now, it was time to act.

"The wheat-grilled meatballs are almost gone."

Sakiya's eyes snapped open. In an instant, she bolted upright and made a mad dash toward the door—only to be caught midair by Sakinoko, who grabbed her collar like a kitten.

"Little pig, wash up first."

Sakiya's excitement drained from her face in an instant. Shoulders slumping, she trudged off to the sink with an air of silent suffering.

Once breakfast was served, however, all was right with the world again. Sakiya's eyes sparkled at the sight of the perfectly grilled, crystal-clear meatballs, and she happily devoured her meal.

Afterward, she set off for school in high spirits—only for her good mood to vanish the moment she stepped outside.

The air was heavy.

Something was wrong.

Her stomach twisted with unease as she overheard hushed whispers along the way.

"Hey, did you hear? Last night… the Uchiha clan…"

"I don't know the details, but something definitely happened."

"Yeah, the whole district was sealed off this morning."

Sakiya clenched her fists.

"Ah—no way! It happened last night?! Why?! There's no reason for it to be so soon!"

Heart pounding, she quickened her pace and arrived at school.

Inside the classroom, the usual lively atmosphere remained unchanged. None of the students seemed aware of what had happened to the Uchiha. No one was talking about it.

Everything felt normal.

Except…

Sasuke wasn't there.

Of course. It made sense.

After what happened, he would be in no state to come to class.

"Sakiya?"

She blinked, snapping back to reality as Ino peered at her curiously.

Ino waved a hand in front of her face.

"You seem out of it."

Sakiya's face remained blank as she muttered in a monotone voice, "My consciousness is adrift in the sea of time. I cannot hear your words."

"...Huh?"

Ino tilted her head in confusion but shrugged it off almost immediately.

"Ugh, whatever. Sakiya, seriously, sometimes I feel like I can't keep up with your nonsense."

Then she sighed, crossing her arms.

"You know, you really need to start acting more mature. Future ninja life won't be all fun and games. The enemy won't care about your so-called 'Eye of Death.'"

Yashin immediately shot back, "No! My Eye of Death is the strongest!"

Ino stared at her for a long moment. Then, out of nowhere, she burst into laughter.

"Fine, fine. Keep believing that. But one day, when you finally outgrow this phase, you're going to look back and want to crawl into a hole from embarrassment."

Sakiya's face remained neutral, but internally, she was grinning.

Oh? So that's how you see it, Ino? How amusing.

Too bad I won't be growing out of this anytime soon. In fact, I should make sure to give you a good performance of my 'Eye of Death' just to see your reaction.

For a while, Ino's distraction had helped push aside her unease.

But eventually, Sakiya's thoughts drifted back to reality.

The Uchiha Massacre had already happened.

And she had done nothing.

Even if she wanted to change things, how much could she have done? Even if she saved some of them, Konoha would never allow it.

The only way to truly intervene would have been to sever ties with the village completely.

But she wasn't ready for that.

She didn't want to lose the peaceful life she had built.

So, she had done nothing.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it was reality.

All she could do now was move forward.

As expected, Sasuke didn't come to school that day. He was likely still recovering in the hospital.

By the next day, the whole class had caught wind of the incident, and hushed discussions about the massacre spread like wildfire.

Of course, it didn't take long before Iruka shut it down, warning them to keep quiet.

Not that it stopped the murmurs entirely—kids would always whisper behind backs, after all.

Two weeks had passed since the Uchiha Clan Massacre. By now, everyone in the village knew about it—after all, one of the most powerful clans in Konoha had been wiped out overnight. Even the Hokage couldn't cover it up.

On this particular day, Sasuke finally returned to school.

His presence alone made it clear that he was not to be approached. His cold, murderous aura kept everyone at bay, and his expression screamed that he would kill anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way.

Of course, no one wanted to be the first to test him.

Even Naruto, who usually had no sense of personal space, was uncharacteristically quiet.

Nobody wanted to poke the hornet's nest.

And yet—

Kihana Sakiya walked right up to Sasuke and stood directly in front of him.

The room fell silent.

Sasuke lifted his head, his eyes sharp and filled with rage.

"Are you here to laugh at me?" he spat.

Sakiya stared at him, unimpressed.

[Wow. Looking at a girl like that? No wonder you're destined to be alone—good thing you're handsome.]

Of course, she kept that thought to herself, maintaining a neutral expression.

"Sasuke," she said solemnly, "my Eye of Death has felt your determination."

His fists clenched at his sides, his bloodshot eyes glaring at her with undisguised fury.

"Are you here to laugh at me?" he repeated, his voice lower this time, more dangerous.

Nearby, Ino frowned.

Sasuke wasn't in the right mindset to listen to anything. Sakiya's nonsense might only make things worse.

But Yashin remained unfazed.

"No," she answered, shaking her head firmly. "My Eye of Death has foreseen my second emissary."

She raised her left hand to her eye, then dramatically extended her other hand toward Sasuke.

"Be my emissary, Sasuke! You shall become my second magician—the Dark Knight!"

...

Silence.

A long, painful silence.

Even the students who had been eavesdropping felt secondhand embarrassment.

And yet—

Instead of lashing out, Sasuke's expression softened just a fraction. He averted his gaze and muttered,

"...Boring."

Gasps echoed across the classroom.

"Wait—what?!"

"That worked?!"

Sakiya tilted her head, confused. This was… not the reaction she expected.

Still, she was committed to the bit.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a beautifully crafted medal engraved with an intricate magic circle and placed it on Sasuke's desk.

"This is proof of your status as a magician under my Eye of Death. Guard it well."

Sasuke didn't respond. He didn't even glance at her.

Instead, he just sat there, staring blankly at the medal.

Sakiya shrugged and walked back to her seat, mission accomplished.

Then—

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Naruto suddenly rushed over, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Sakiya-chan! I wanna be a magician too!"

Sakiya gave him a slow, deliberate once-over. Then, without hesitation, she shook her head.

"No. You don't qualify."

Naruto's face crumbled.

The light in his eyes dimmed, his entire body drooping.

Ino burst into laughter.

"Pfft—Sakiya, that's so unfair! Are you playing favorites? Do you have a thing for Sasuke or something?"

Sakiya's face turned red.

"W-what?! Of course not! He just… fits the role better!"

She turned away in a huff, refusing to meet Ino's knowing grin.

Meanwhile, Naruto stood frozen in shock.

[No way… Sakiya-chan likes that bastard Sasuke too?!]

In truth, Sakiya had only approached Sasuke to check on him—to make sure he was okay after everything that had happened.

But somehow, she had actually ended up recruiting him as her second magician.

She had even braced herself for a punch.

And now, Naruto was sulking, and every girl in the class had begun eyeing her with barely concealed hostility.

After all, Sasuke's fan club included almost every girl in class.

At first, they had just considered Sakiya an oddball, a harmless class mascot.

But now?

Now, she was a threat.

And Naruto?

Naruto had just found yet another reason to challenge Sasuke.

It seemed that, despite everything, life was returning to normal.