Chapter 10
The next morning, Naruto opened his eyes feeling completely refreshed.
The surging chakra inside him filled him with overwhelming confidence.
Right now, even if he faced Uchiha Madara himself, Naruto would have the guts to point at his nose and trash-talk him relentlessly.
Realizing how cocky that thought was, Naruto had to admit—he was getting way too full of himself!
Was this the side effect of power growing too fast? A shaky foundation in his resolve?
Naruto steadied his mind, got out of bed, and started preparing lunch bentos.
Today was a school day—everyone brought their own lunch.
Yesterday, between celebrating Sakyo's birthday and thanking her, Naruto had spent quite a bit of his savings.
For the rest of the month, he'd have to rely on Sakura's lunches to survive.
Once he finished packing two bentos, he went to Sakyo's door and called out, "Sakyo! Time to get up for school!"
"Did you do some late-night exercise after getting in bed yesterday? You're sleeping like the dead!"
Naruto was being cheeky. When no response came from inside, he pushed the door open to check.
And then…
Gulp~
Naruto swallowed hard, eyes wide. "That holy light… is my youth!"
Inside the room, Sakyo shrieked in furious embarrassment. "GET OUT!!!"
Naruto: "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
…
On the way to school, Sakyo's face still hadn't returned to normal.
Why was Naruto so rude? Why would he just barge into a girl's room?
She couldn't figure it out. In the end, she could only explain it with one thought: "Naruto is a total pervert."
Suddenly, Naruto turned to her and said, "Sakyo, I actually prefer sleeping with underwear on. Otherwise, I always feel kinda embarrassed."
"But you're the exact opposite. Our tastes are totally different!"
Sakyo's body stiffened. She clenched her fists and glared at him. "You dare bring that up?!"
"That never happened!"
"And don't you dare stay over at my place again!"
Seeing that Sakyo wasn't going to pursue it further, Naruto nodded quickly. "Got it~ Understood, little Sakyo."
This morning, he'd wanted to check on her—and ended up catching her just as she got out of bed. She hadn't even wrapped the white cloth around her chest yet.
Needless to say, the sight was extremely stimulating for Naruto.
He couldn't help but think…
That skin looks so soft and smooth…
Sakyo silently took a step away from him and said, "Can you act normal? Right now, I'm Uchiha Sasuke!"
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Right, right, right! You're Uchiha Sasuke right now. Only girls can get close to you—that puts my mind at ease."
Sakyo: "Damn it, what do you mean 'puts your mind at ease'?!"
Naruto: "Don't worry. I'll keep your secret. If your gender got exposed, I'd suddenly have hundreds of thousands of love rivals—and I'd be the one suffering."
Sakyo: "Hundreds of thousands?!?!?!?"
Naruto: "Not exaggerating… not exaggerating at all…"
Passersby pointed and whispered as they walked. Sakyo noticed the way people looked at Naruto.
She frowned, observing their fearful, disgusted, rejecting, angry expressions.
Combined with the rumors that Naruto was a monster—and remembering how he'd suddenly healed himself yesterday—she couldn't help asking, "Naruto, are you really a monster?"
Naruto smiled at her. "What do you think? Am I a monster?"
Sakyo averted her gaze, closed her eyes, and gently shook her head.
After all this time together, she knew Naruto. At most, he had some secrets no one else knew.
Naruto was a normal person. How could he be a monster?
Suddenly, a sense of danger prickled her senses. She snapped her eyes open and shoved Naruto away.
Sure enough! He'd seen her close her eyes and tried to sneak another kiss!
Sakyo's face turned dark. "Can you stop thinking those weird things for once?!"
Naruto scratched his head. "You know how it is—kids our age… puberty hits hard~"
Sakyo: "…"
Originally, seeing how the villagers treated Naruto, Sakyo had felt a little sympathy for him.
No one wants to be treated like a monster. That kind of thing could cause serious, irreparable damage to someone's heart.
But watching Naruto act so shamelessly, the tiny spark of pity she'd felt vanished instantly.
In its place, only one thought remained:
Naruto is a pervert—I need to stay vigilant!
Naruto is a pervert—I need to stay vigilant!!
Naruto is a pervert—I need to stay vigilant!!!
Important things must be repeated three times.
A little further down the road, the two stopped at a roadside breakfast stall.
Soon after, Naruto's furious voice rang out:
"Damn it! I'm buying your breakfast because I'm doing you a favor—don't be ungrateful!"
"Money's right here. You're selling whether you want to or not!"
"Oh? You wanna fight? Think carefully—if you swing first, I kill you. It'll be self-defense, and you'll die for nothing!"
Boss: "Uh… I… never said I wouldn't sell?"
Naruto: "Oh… really? Force of habit. Sorry about that."
Sakyo: "…"