Days passed quickly, and nearly a week had gone by.
Naruto spent his time training and studying some basic fuinjutsu that helped in his daily life.
And now—
Hiyakk...
Thud—
Sakura attacked from the right side, aiming for his head, but Naruto blocked it with his shoulder.
Not staying idle, Naruto threw a handful of shuriken.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
With swift reflexes, Sakura dodged them all. She then leapt upward, using the trees as footholds one after another.
Seeing her retreating, Naruto didn't remain still. He jumped, charging through the wind, clenching his fist, ready to strike.
Above, Sakura spotted him. She also prepared her fist, and—
Thud—!
Their punches collided, creating a loud impact. Naruto fell to the ground from losing his footing, while Sakura was hurled toward the trees.
As Sakura was about to fall, Naruto rushed in and caught her, holding her in a tight embrace.
"You've improved," Naruto said flatly.
Sakura looked at him. His face was serious, and she nodded. "Yeah... at least this time, I lasted twenty minutes."
Naruto released his embrace, letting Sakura stand on her own. "Don't push yourself too hard. After all, I'll always protect you..."
"And do you think I want to be protected by a bastard like you?" Sakura replied coldly.
She sat down, stretching out her legs. Using speed against power was exhausting, she thought.
"Then why? Why don't you want me to protect you?" Naruto asked again, sitting beside her.
Their sitting positions were very close, almost touching, but unfortunately, their hearts were far apart.
Sakura let out a sigh. Her tired face began to relax.
She didn't answer Naruto's question, and Naruto didn't press her again.
Until Sakura glanced at him. "I heard you went on a date with Tenten that time?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, so what?" His eyes shifted forward.
Sakura chuckled. "Nothing... it's just that you're really selfish... You realize I've always been watching you, right?" This time, her tone was serious.
Naruto turned to her and found her gaze fixed intensely on him.
"Yeah, that's true," he answered shortly. Naruto understood what Sakura meant and responded directly to the core of the matter.
"You're really honest," Sakura said.
Her expression returned to normal, and she stared at the shining crescent moon.
"You know, Naruto," Sakura called.
"What?" he responded.
A sweet smile began to form on Sakura's face. Her eyes remained on the moon, and she fell silent for a moment. "You're like the sun, shining on everyone's hearts, but I hate you because you shine too brightly..."
She turned toward him. Her sweet smile faded, replaced by a bitter one.
"While Sasuke is more like the moon, illuminating the night, and I love him like a torch in the darkness..."
Naruto was silent. His throat tightened. He understood exactly what Sakura meant.
Eventually, he reached for her hand.
His cheek tensed, and his gaze turned serious. "Sakura... Sakura Haruno," he repeated.
Sakura's hand was small, not rough, a little soft, and very warm. He gently squeezed it, then firmer—trying to make her realize there had always been someone chasing after her and accepting her for who she was.
"You may hate me now," his tone turned cold.
"But I swear, in the future, I'll make sure you fall into my arms," he continued slowly.
His voice was slightly hoarse, showing how serious he was. With his resolve, Naruto made a vow to himself.
Sakura's eyes softened. A smile formed, though accompanied by a cynical look.
"You're so full of yourself, I hate that..." she said calmly.
"Yeah, I know..."
"I hate it..."
"Right..."
"I really hate it. Hate you, hate you. I really hate you..."
Strange, yet real. That was how their relationship felt. Something close, yet distant. Sweet, yet bitter.
Time passed again. Naruto continued his daily training. Sometimes, he was even late to the academy and got scolded by Iruka and Ino.
"You're late again today," Ino's voice came from her seat.
Naruto glanced at her, then turned away. He didn't want to be nagged in the morning. He started walking toward Shikamaru's seat.
Which, of course, Ino wouldn't allow.
"Where do you think you're going?" Her tone rose. Seeing her expression, Naruto was sure he'd get scolded.
Lately, for some reason, Ino had become sensitive. Just talking to Hinata for a bit could already make her mad, and the marks from her pinches were now visible all over Naruto's arms.
Naruto gave up and sat back in his seat.
Behind him, Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Thank goodness I didn't get into any trouble this morning..."
Beside him, Chouji—munching on chips—commented lightly, "Hey, Shikamaru. Have you noticed? Something's changed about them..."
Shikamaru turned to him. "Yeah, you're right," he answered briefly.
Crunch crunch...
"It's not just Ino or Naruto—even Sakura's changed. She's become quieter, and somehow, her grades in practice have shot up," he added.
Shikamaru's eyes widened. He was surprised by the observation. "Chouji... is that really you, Chouji?" he asked in disbelief.
"What do you mean?" Chouji asked casually, not offended.
From behind, Kiba suddenly appeared and snatched a few chips from Chouji. "He means, you idiot fatty, how could you come up with something like that..."
Hearing this, Chouji nodded. "Oh, I see—wait," his eyes sharpened. "What do you mean?" Chouji looked angry.
Meanwhile, Kiba, chewing, just shrugged. "What? What do you think I meant? I didn't mean anything..."
"No," Chouji interrupted. "You just called me dumb and fat, didn't you?"
Kiba smirked. "Yeah, that's right. So what..."
"You're asking why!!!" Chouji stood up. They glared at each other.
Shikamaru, watching this, wore a defeated expression. "Damn it... why is my life never peaceful..." he muttered inwardly.
Meanwhile, Ino didn't end up scolding him, and that made Naruto happy.
She just asked him to come to the shop and help her make some floral arrangements.
At the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
Naruto was making a bouquet. He worked carefully, afraid of damaging even the slightest part.
"Is this okay?" Naruto approached Ino and showed her his creation.
Ino stayed silent. She examined it carefully as if searching for any flaws, but eventually let out a sigh.
"Haahhh... you did well." She took the bouquet and placed it in the display.
"Then why do you look disappointed?" Naruto wondered.
He felt annoyed and wanted to get back at her. And coincidentally...
Her back was turned toward him. She was busy arranging the flowers on display to make them look neat.
Bfffgg.
Naruto hugged her tightly from behind, wrapping his arms around her.
His warm breath brushed against Ino's ear, making her nervous and uneasy.
"N-N-Naruto... please, don't joke around..." she muttered as she gripped his forearm tightly, but couldn't break free.
Slowly but surely, his breath drew closer. Ino's body froze. She couldn't do anything.
Until—
Cup!
Naruto gently bit her earlobe and lightly licked it, causing Ino's hands to tremble violently.
"This... this... you pervert... insane jerk..." she screamed in her mind.
She kept cursing him internally, but in reality, her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes welled up, and she couldn't even look at him.
Of course, Naruto noticed everything. He leaned in closer and softly kissed the corner of her lips.
That made her even more embarrassed, to the point she couldn't even curse—not even in her own mind.