Chapter 7
"Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
"Wait up!"
Sakura chased after him with everything she had. Finally catching up, she panted and demanded, "Why did you ditch me back there?!"
Naruto glanced at the beads of sweat on her wide forehead and casually explained, "Because once you go full fangirl mode, who knows how long it'll take you to snap out of it."
Sakura gave him a helpless look. "Is it really that bad?"
"Anyway, you bought a little bear necklace, and I got a teddy bear plushie. I'm giving mine to Sasuke-kun, but who's yours for~?"
Naruto's behavior was totally out of character. Sakura knew his situation well.
He lived off the village's meager stipend each month—usually too broke to even buy a bowl of ramen. Without her lunches, he'd probably be skin and bones. How could he afford to drop a "fortune" on a bear necklace?
Naruto's lips curved into a smirk as he teased, "Look at the direction we're heading. Who do you think it's for?"
Sakura glanced ahead and realized the Uchiha compound wasn't far away.
Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Naruto. "Naruto! You're not… pursuing Sasuke like he's a girl, are you?!"
"Huh??? Th-this… this this this…"
When Naruto actually nodded, Sakura was speechless. Her face turned beet red, her whole body trembling with excitement over whatever wild thoughts were racing through her mind. A single drop of blood even trickled from her nose…
Naruto watched her reaction in silence, then sighed. "Sigh… so you're not just a fangirl—you're a full-blown fujoshi too?"
Sakura wiped the nosebleed away without a shred of dignity and warned him, "Naruto, forget it. Sasuke-kun is mine!"
Naruto just smiled and didn't argue. "Sure, he's yours~ all yours~~"
For some reason, Naruto suddenly pictured Sakura and Sakyo's wedding night: Sakura happily making the bed, taking a bath, then waiting eagerly on the bed for Sakyo…
Holy crap… that's actually kinda hot!
Beside him, Sakura shot a disgusted look at Naruto, who had zoned out in his fantasy. Who knows what this guy was imagining?
…
"We're here. Sasuke's probably training by the river right now."
Naruto led Sakura to the riverside spot where he usually trained with Sakyo. Sure enough, they spotted a lone figure hurling kunai at a large tree.
The moment she saw "Sasuke," Sakura ditched Naruto and ran over, waving her arms wildly and shouting like a maniac, "Sasuke-kun~~"
"Happy birthday~~~"
She pinched the teddy bear under its armpits and held it out in front of Sakyo.
Naruto watched the scene with a faint smile, curious what Sakyo was thinking.
Sakyo stared expressionlessly at the plush toy in front of her, then looked past Sakura—straight at Naruto.
Sakura didn't know this place. The only way she could have come here was if Naruto brought her.
Damn it… he deliberately brought Sakura here. That's just cruel. Doesn't Uzumaki Naruto know I'm a girl?!
But Sakura had come to celebrate her birthday—Sakyo had no reason to chase her away…
So Sakyo swallowed her discomfort, accepted the teddy bear, and said coolly, "Mm. Got it."
She hoped the cold tone would make Sakura take the hint and leave.
But instead of leaving, Sakura pouted and leaned in close, eyes squeezed shut, long eyelashes trembling~
Sakyo stepped back, swallowed hard, and said guiltily, "You tired? If you're tired, go home and rest."
Sakura opened her eyes in disappointment and whined, "Huh? Didn't I tell you—when a girl closes her eyes, it means she wants you to kiss her~"
Sakyo retreated another step, expression blank. Sakura started to look a little scared. "Sa… Sasuke?"
Finally, Sakyo gave in. "Sakura, I… still have training to do. Why don't you head home, okay?"
That was already Sakyo being extremely polite.
Sakura let out a dejected "Oh…" and turned to leave, her back radiating loneliness.
Once she was far enough away, Naruto was about to put in a good word for Sakura.
After all, she'd helped him a ton over the years.
But before he could speak, Sakyo cut him off coldly. "No need. You're not seriously going to tell me to 'go after' Sakura, are you?"
"You know my situation."
Naruto shrugged helplessly. "Fine."
Sakyo drew a kunai, battle intent gradually rising in her gaze toward Naruto.
Naruto waved his hands. "Hey, do we really have to start fighting the second we meet?"
Sakyo looked at him, confused. "Then what else?"
Naruto pulled the little bear necklace from his pocket, stepped forward, and slipped it around her neck. "Here~ It's your birthday today."
Sakyo backed up to keep distance between them. Her pupils trembled slightly before she closed her eyes to calm herself.
"I abandoned useless things like that long ago. So—are we sparring today or not? Mm…???"
While her eyes were closed, Naruto had silently closed the gap. One arm wrapped around her slender waist as he leaned in with shameless intent.
Soft, fragrant warmth lingered between their lips. Sakyo let out a muffled cry, shoved him away hard, and shouted angrily, "Uzumaki Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!?!"
She even made a show of spitting, as if disgusted.
Naruto wiped the lingering trace from his mouth and looked completely innocent. "Huh? Isn't that what Sakura said—when a girl closes her eyes, it means she wants me to kiss her~"
Sakyo's face flushed bright red. She stammered, "Y-you… you! That's what Sakura said! Not me! Not me!"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter. You're both girls—it's basically the same."
Sakyo: "…"
"Uh…" Seeing the dark, about-to-explode expression on her face, Naruto quickly added, "Okay, okay—my bad. I misunderstood what you meant."
At the same time, he wondered why the system hadn't chimed in yet.
"Ding~ Reminder: For the mission to succeed, Sakyo must wholeheartedly accept the host's gift."
Right on cue, Sakyo grabbed the cheap little bear necklace around her neck and said flatly, "Do you guys think I like bears or something?"
"Huh? You don't?"
Naruto forced a smile while mentally cursing Sakura a dozen times: Damn that Sakura—going on about how "nobody can resist a teddy bear," and this is the result?!
"Uzumaki Naruto, did you misunderstand something?"
"If you don't want to train with me anymore, then leave—and never come back."
Sakyo was furious. What the hell was wrong with today?
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