"Hey, are you okay?"
Sakura Haruno stepped forward and helped the blond boy to his feet.
"Th-Thanks..."
Looking at the pink-haired girl in front of him, the blond boy spoke a little awkwardly, clearly flustered.
"By the way, I'm Sakura Haruno."
"I... I'm Naruto Uzumaki..."
—
"Sakura... Haruno?"
Far in the distance, an elderly man wearing a red Hokage hat stood watching the scene, deep in thought.
Originally, he had simply come to the Ninja Academy on a whim to observe the growth of Konoha's young sprouts. He hadn't expected to witness such an interesting moment.
This pink-haired little girl had piqued his interest.
Strictly speaking, this girl named Sakura Haruno was the first person, aside from himself and Iruka, to show genuine kindness toward Naruto Uzumaki.
Moreover, the way she had gathered chakra into her fist to make her punch more powerful reminded the old man of someone.
"Go, look into this child's background."
The elderly man spoke softly into the air around him.
"Yes," came a deep response.
The moment the voice faded, it was as if something had vanished from the surroundings.
—
After another exhausting afternoon, Sakura Haruno walked home under the glow of the setting sun, accompanied by her friend Ino Yamanaka.
"Sakura, you were so cool at lunch today!"
"Huh?"
Ino mimicked a punching motion with exaggerated flair, grinning widely as she added, "Just one punch and bam! You sent that guy flying!"
"You're amazing, Sakura!"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Ino's silly impression.
Her goofy movements reminded Sakura of her cheap father. But in terms of looks? Ten of her father couldn't compare to one Ino Yamanaka.
That's just how it was—some things were gifted by nature.
"Hehe, Sakura, you're finally smiling again."
Seeing Sakura's grin, Ino instantly clung to her arm, giggling.
"You were so serious all day today. I didn't even dare to speak to you!"
Ino clung to her like a child seeking comfort, complaining with a pout.
That's because I had to focus on studying...
Sakura sighed softly.
She couldn't stop thinking about the Yin Seal that might appear at any moment on her forehead. Just the thought of it gave her a headache.
If someone discovered it, she wouldn't be able to explain herself, no matter how many excuses she gave...
Her only option was to grow stronger, stand out, and enter the inner circles of Konoha's leadership. Only then would she have a legitimate chance to gain access to the Yin Seal... and with it, a valid explanation.
Otherwise... she might end up in the Interrogation Unit.
"Hey! Wait up!"
At a fork in the road, just as Ino was about to say goodbye to Sakura, a voice called out from behind.
The two girls turned to see a blond boy running toward them in a hurry.
Who else could it be but Naruto Uzumaki?
"Hey, Sakura might've helped you out today, but that doesn't mean you can just follow her around forever!"
Seeing the dirty-faced Naruto, Ino snapped irritably.
After getting beaten up earlier, Naruto's white shirt was all dusty, making him look especially disheveled.
"N-No! It's not like that!"
Faced with Ino's hostile tone, Naruto flailed in panic as he tried to explain.
"Ino, that's not what he meant."
Sakura stepped in. She knew Ino's temper well—fiery, but not truly unreasonable. Her attitude was mostly just a result of her upbringing as a pampered girl.
"Uzumaki-kun, is something the matter?"
Sakura offered a polite smile.
She knew this boy's personality well. He might seem shy and awkward now, but in the future, he'd be a total extrovert and social butterfly.
Still, he'd never do anything inappropriate...
Except...
...maybe chasing after her.
A sudden realization hit Sakura like a bolt of lightning. She hadn't thought about that before.
If it were Ino chasing after her, she might have hesitated for a moment—after all, she was technically a girl now.
But Naruto?
Sorry, boys, stand to the side. I'm not interested!
Oblivious to Sakura's shifting expression, Naruto nervously fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled piece of paper.
"Grandpa said, if someone helps you, you should give them a gift to show your thanks."
"This is my most precious possession!"
"Please accept it!"
With that, he handed the small piece of paper to Sakura.
It was an old, wrinkled coupon for Ichiraku Ramen…
Judging from the faded writing, it had clearly been kept for a long time.
The date written on it had expired—three months ago.
"Seriously? It's just a ramen coupon. What's so precious about that?"
Ino peeked over and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"...Thanks."
Sakura stared at the coupon for a moment, then smiled softly and accepted it.
After parting ways with Ino and Naruto, Sakura stared at the wrinkled paper in her hand, feeling a bit speechless.
Well, at least he ends up with Hinata in the end. She just needed to endure his infatuation for a while longer...
It wouldn't last too long anyway. Just...
...ten years.
Screw that!
Ten whole years!
Sakura felt her world going dark. She was on the verge of tears.
If she hadn't helped him today, would she have been able to avoid a decade of being pursued?
She looked at the coupon in her hand, torn between tossing it away and keeping it. But even as she flicked her wrist, the paper stayed put.
After all, it was a heartfelt gesture. Throwing it away felt wrong.
Sigh... I'll just shove it in a drawer later.
The pink-haired girl shook her head, sighing as she dragged her tired feet home.
Little did she know, everything she did had been seen by a pair of watchful eyes.
"What a good child..."
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he gazed into his crystal ball, watching the downcast little girl.
His old, wrinkled face softened with satisfaction.
She reminded him of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.
Blond and red... although this girl was pink-haired, that wasn't a big issue.
And from what he saw today, she had shown admirable qualities.
Taking initiative to help her classmates, listening attentively in class, a gentle and kind demeanor.
Hiruzen could almost see glimpses of Minato Namikaze—the Fourth Hokage—reflected in her.
As for her strength? That could be developed later.
—
"Sakura, why are you so listless again today?"
At the dinner table, Sakura's mother, Haruno Mebuki, asked with concern as she noticed her daughter picking at her food.
Sakura sighed and put down her chopsticks. "I was training in the backyard…"
Her father, Haruno Zhao, looked at his gloomy daughter and exchanged confused glances with his wife.
Didn't he just cheer her up yesterday? What happened now?
Mebuki studied her daughter's expression, deep in thought. Then she suddenly declared with absolute certainty:
"This is definitely because... her confession was rejected!"
!!!
"NANI?!"
(End of Chapter)
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