In a room, a girl sat at her desk, burying her face in her arms.
Tear stains were still visible on her cheeks, and the room looked messy.
Knock knock...
"Sakura, come out... why are you staying in your room, sweetie?"
Her mother, Mebuki, called out, but there was no response from inside.
"Is she still sulking?" her husband, Kizashi, asked.
Mebuki let out a sigh. "Yeah... I really don't understand what's wrong with her."
Kizashi glanced at his wife and shook his head weakly before chuckling softly while sipping his warm coffee. "It's probably just kid stuff. Just leave her be... I'm sure she'll come out tomorrow."
Hearing Kizashi's words, Mebuki frowned. She stepped closer and grabbed him by the collar.
"Youuu!!" she shouted. "How can you not be worried? She's our daughter! What if something's seriously wrong?" Mebuki snapped.
"Hahaha..." Kizashi, slightly lifted by her pull, could only laugh awkwardly, a desperate look on his face.
He truly had no idea what to do. Honestly, he himself was confused about what was going on.
Three days ago, Sakura had come home from the academy with a sad expression. When they tried to ask, she immediately locked herself in her room and slammed the door.
Since then, Sakura hadn't come out except for lunch, and even then, she hadn't spoken a single word.
"Think of something! You're so useless!" Mebuki scolded him, releasing his collar.
Kizashi tidied up his clothes, then looked at his wife seriously.
"Sweetheart... don't worry. She's our daughter... she's not that weak. I'm sure Sakura will come out tomorrow. Just believe," he said, watching her expression carefully.
"Huhh... fine, I hope you're right..."
Meanwhile, inside the room, Sakura was wrestling with her thoughts.
"What's wrong? Are you giving up? Didn't you say you liked Sasuke?"
"Yes, I do like him, but..." she mumbled.
"But what? Haven't you always been like this? Ignoring what Sasuke says and only thinking about yourself..."
Sakura couldn't argue. After thinking it over, she realized she really had only cared about herself. She hadn't paid attention to Sasuke's feelings at all.
"So... was everything I've done until now wrong?" Sakura asked herself.
She remembered Sasuke's words.
"Stop it..."
"Why are you bothering me?"
"Don't get in my way..."
And then—
"Sakura, this is the last time I'll say this... you heard what Naruto said earlier, right?" Sasuke said calmly.
Sakura's body trembled slightly, her gaze faltered.
"Haha, Sasuke-kun... what are you talking about? Ah, look, Sasuke-kun, a butterfly... isn't it pretty~" she tried to change the subject.
"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted.
Sakura immediately fell silent. She looked into Sasuke's face and nodded.
"Yeah... so what?" she replied.
Hearing her answer, Sasuke scoffed coldly. He stared sharply into her eyes. His face showed no emotion, but his eyes were filled with ambition.
"Get out of my sight. I have never, not even once, thought about you. So please... no, I *expect* you to understand and stay out of my way," his voice was flat but cold and pierced Sakura's heart.
Sasuke... Sakura remembered everything.
"Hahaha, how stupid... you expected him to like you when you're so useless."
"See? Naruto, the one you used to look down on, is starting to grow... and you?"
"Aren't you ashamed? Sa-ku-ra..."
The strange whispering continued to echo.
But Sakura knew... it wasn't anyone else's voice. It was her own.
She suddenly stood up. Her tear-swollen eyes gradually regained their light.
"Sasuke... and Naruto... I will prove to you both that I can stand beside you... especially to you, Naruto. I'll make you regret your words."
Sakura clenched her fists tightly, as if crushing all her negative thoughts.
From that moment on, Sakura decided to change. She would not abandon who she was, but instead, she would continue to improve herself, more and more...
At Ichiraku Ramen.
"Yo, ramen's ready..." Ayame returned to the front and served the ramen. She was now much more composed handling herself.
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Ohh, Ayame-chan, you're back!" he said cheerfully.
"He's starting again!" Ayame thought, annoyed.
But she didn't respond and simply placed the ramen down as ordered.
"Alright, if you need anything, just call. I'm going back..." Ayame turned to leave, but Naruto grabbed her wrist.
"Hey! Where are you going?" he called out.
Ayame turned and glared at him. "Let go..."
But Naruto didn't release her hand. He just smiled softly, gazing at her kindly, making Ayame lose focus and turn her face away.
"Stay here. You've already finished serving all the customers, right? Just stay and chat with me," Naruto finally said.
Ayame pouted slightly. "This kid... what's with him!" she thought, irritated, but decided to stay silent.
"Fine," she agreed. "But don't do anything weird or start talking nonsense again..." she warned him.
"Good," Naruto nodded happily.
Meanwhile, Hanabi had been watching Naruto the whole time.
"This guy... He's such a scumbag. Maybe Mother was right. No man can be trusted," she thought.
"I have to find a way to get Sister away from him," little Hanabi thought.
Hinata, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to their conversation. She was lost in her own thoughts.
"Oh no, what should I do? Should I finish it all? But if I do, will Naruto think I'm rude? But if I don't finish it, he might think I'm wasteful..." Hinata struggled with her dilemma.
Naruto noticed and gently called out, "Hinata, is something wrong?"
Hinata turned to see Naruto looking at her.
"No, it's nothing," she shook her head weakly.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Naruto asked.
But then he thought, "Is it because of our earlier conversation that Hinata's acting like this?"
Hearing that, Hinata shook her head again. "No, Naruto-kun... I was just thinking a little."
"Ah, I see. Also... now that I think about it, Hinata is a lot like Sakura... both of them have liked someone since they were little," Naruto thought.
He sighed and looked deeply into Hinata's eyes. He gently took her hand and squeezed it lightly, as if to comfort her.
"Hinata, don't overthink it... just do what you feel," Naruto said softly.
It wasn't anything special, but it gave Hinata the confidence she needed. Now she felt sure she could do it. Hinata believed that Naruto understood her.
Hinata gave a small smile. "Y-yes, Naruto-kun," she replied softly.
Hanabi was not pleased.
"Sister... how could you fall for his tricks?"
Hanabi's hatred toward Naruto grew even stronger.
Meanwhile, Ayame, who was leaning against the counter, suddenly felt a strange sourness in her heart.
Naruto nodded, let go of Hinata's hand, and looked back at the ramen in front of him.
"Alright then, let's eat."
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One more
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