The moment Kevin Cross pressed the "Traverse" button, he was once again transported into the world of Naruto.
He materialized right in front of Izumi Uchiha, and without hesitation, wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
To be honest, Kevin had really missed Izumi. Sure, they could still chat through the group, but chatting was all they could do. There was no way to actually see each other, let alone anything more intimate. Especially now Kevin had only recently shed the last remnant of his boyhood. Having just crossed that threshold into adulthood, he found himself completely enchanted and eager for everything that came with it.
So, standing there before Izumi, Kevin simply couldn't hold himself back.
Izumi furrowed her brows slightly as he embraced her, but she said nothing and didn't push him away either.
In truth, Izumi wasn't just physically accepting of Kevin. Emotionally, she didn't feel any real resistance toward him either. Love was complicated, and feelings couldn't be forced but she knew, without a doubt, that Kevin was the most important person in her life right now.
"I wasn't feeling it before, but now that I'm here, I suddenly realize how much I've missed you," Kevin murmured into her hair.
Hearing that, Izumi's expression softened just a bit.
And then sparks flew, passion ignited, and their night erupted into something far more intense.
Now, the two of them were stationed along the path to the Land of Waves.
Watching Sasuke Uchiha trailing behind Kakashi Hatake, Izumi's gaze was complicated.
Sasuke's face was cold and distant, walking quietly in line. Beside him, Sakura Haruno kept sneaking glances in his direction, eyes filled with infatuation. And then there was Naruto Uzumaki the loudest of the bunch. Chattering non-stop, eyes darting around like he'd never been outside before, he came across like a total country bumpkin.
"So that's Sasuke Uchiha, huh? Gotta admit, the kid's pretty handsome but still a notch below me," Kevin smirked, nudging Izumi.
Izumi rolled her eyes, though she didn't actually disagree. Kevin was extremely good-looking on an entirely different level from Sasuke. That was part of the reason she never really minded his closeness.
After all, even if it were just for revenge, it made a huge difference whether it was a pig on top of you or a ridiculously good-looking guy. Unless someone had very specific tastes, most people would obviously prefer the latter.
"Should we make our move now?" Kevin asked, clearly itching for action.
Izumi hesitated for a second, then gave a small nod.
Technically, Kakashi's team had just been ambushed not long ago by a couple of second-rate rogue ninjas, and they hadn't even encountered Zabuza yet. But Izumi didn't want to wait anymore.
So what if they ran into Zabuza? At worst, Kakashi would have to go all out, maybe even get forced to sit out of the fight temporarily. That would only make capturing Sasuke even easier. And besides, it was just Kakashi Hatake, the so-called "Fifty-Fifty" famous for his habit of winning half the time.
Kevin had been dying for a real fight ever since gaining chakra and learning ninjutsu. He hadn't had a chance to use any of it yet, and the itch in his heart was getting unbearable.
And now, Kakashi the Fifty-Fifty? Perfect target.
"You take Kakashi. Think you can handle him?" Izumi asked.
"Of course I can." Kevin was brimming with confidence. Sure, he didn't have any real combat experience yet, but with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes, he had no doubt he could take Kakashi on. And even if things went south, he could always retreat. Besides, if it really got bad, he had Izumi to watch his back.
And as for people calling him a freeloader or saying he was just mooching off her strength? Hah. His entire power set did come from Izumi, after all. If anyone called him a pretty-boy parasite, they'd actually be telling the truth. He wasn't about to deny it.
Clutching the kunai Izumi had given him, Kevin's breathing grew a little erratic. It was his first real fight, after all he was nervous.
But before he could even make his move, Kakashi suddenly grew alert. At some point, a kunai had already flown from his hand, heading straight for Kevin.
It turned out Kevin's uneven breathing had betrayed him his rhythm was off, and the sound had tipped Kakashi off. The man had acted immediately.
Kevin reacted on instinct. With a flick of his wrist, he deflected Kakashi's kunai, and in a flash, he was right in front of him.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The stranger in front of him was wearing strange clothing not typical of any known village. Most notably, he wasn't wearing a forehead protector, which made identifying him even harder.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, sharp and cautious.
"Who am I?" Kevin tilted his head slightly. "You can think of me as... just another Uchiha."
As he spoke, his eyes morphed three tomoe spinning into view.
Kevin had no intention of being careless. This was his first real fight, and Kakashi wasn't exactly a pushover. He activated the basic Sharingan instead of the Mangekyō it was important to keep trump cards hidden until the right moment. He needed to build up experience gradually.
"Uchiha? That's a Sharingan!" Kakashi's voice sharpened. "You're an Uchiha?"
"You who are you? Why do you have the Sharingan? Where have you been all this time? What's your connection to that man?" Sasuke's voice was thick with emotion. He practically burst forward, bombarding Kevin with questions. His tone was demanding, tinged with a haughty arrogance.
It was hard not to notice. Sasuke had grown up as the heir to the Uchiha clan, and after the massacre, he was constantly surrounded by admirers, especially lovesick girls who worshiped him. Over time, that adoration had inflated his ego. He never really grasped the gap between himself and Itachi, always shouting about vengeance without understanding how thoroughly he'd get crushed if they actually fought.
"You show up now, as an Uchiha what's your objective?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Ever since the massacre, no other Uchiha had surfaced. And yet now, the first time Sasuke and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had gone on a mission, an Uchiha suddenly appeared?
He couldn't help but be suspicious.
"My goal?" Kevin gave a crooked grin. "If you really want to know, then come and get it. Beat me, and I'll tell you everything."