Chapter 2: The Art of the 'Accidental' Revelation
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: CONTINUING CHAOS. OBJECTIVE: INCREASE ENGAGEMENT.]
My first run-in with Naruto, the Pink Ramen Incident, was a resounding success, if by "success" you mean I now had a permanent target on my back and a reputation as Konoha's resident prankster. Which, frankly, was exactly what I was aiming for. Who needs a proper shinobi career when you can be a purveyor of delightful mayhem? Though, given my newfound ability to, you know, copy ninja skills, a shinobi career might just accidentally happen. Consequences, am I right?
"You know, I always thought the most dangerous thing about being in a ninja village would be, like, giant monsters or rogue assassins. Turns out, it's the constant threat of having your personal space invaded by a pink-haired teenager with a vendetta. Truly, the trials of a reincarnated individual are vast and varied. Also, the food here is surprisingly good. Priorities, people."
Sakura Haruno, the other occupant of Team 7, was a different beast entirely. Naruto's reactions were boisterous, predictable. Sakura's were… well, they involved a certain level of silent, simmering rage before she unleashed the fury. I had to approach this with more finesse. And by finesse, I mean a prank that was subtle enough to get under her skin without immediately activating her inner demon.
My opportunity came during one of their training sessions. Kakashi, the perpetually tardy sensei, was, as usual, late. Naruto was practicing his Shadow Clones, creating a veritable army of pink-haired doppelgangers (the dye was proving remarkably stubborn). Sakura was practicing her chakra control by walking up a tree, muttering under her breath about "idiots" and "dead weight." Classic Sakura.
I'd 'accidentally' stumbled upon a stash of medical herbs she'd been meticulously cultivating. And by 'accidentally stumbled,' I mean I meticulously tracked their location, planned my approach, and executed a flawless infiltration. I replaced all her carefully labeled, rare medicinal herbs with perfectly ordinary, garden-variety weeds. But not just any weeds. Weeds that, to the untrained eye, looked remarkably similar to what she had.
[ADAM IZUKU: THE SNEAKY SUBSTITUTE. INITIATE CONNECTION PROTOCOL.]
[SAKURA HARUNO LIKE METER: 10%]
The next day, during another training session, Sakura was diligently preparing a salve for some imaginary training injuries. She carefully crushed the "herbs," mixing them with various liquids. Her brow was furrowed in concentration. It was beautiful, really. The calm before the storm.
"Hey Sakura-chan!" I called out, feigning innocence as I sauntered over. "Whatcha makin'? Looks… green."
She barely glanced up. "It's a pain-relieving salve, Adam. For when Naruto inevitably breaks something." She paused, sniffing the mixture. Her nose wrinkled. "Hmm, it smells a little… earthy today. Did Kakashi-sensei track mud in here?"
I just hummed noncommittally, peering over her shoulder. "Oh, honey, that's not mud. That's the sweet, sweet scent of impending realization. And possibly a slight rash, depending on how sensitive her ninja skin is to common dandelions."
She continued, oblivious, until she applied a dollop of the salve to her arm. Her eyes widened. Then narrowed. Then, a vein started throbbing in her forehead.
"Adam," she said, her voice dangerously low, each syllable enunciated with the precision of a kunai being sharpened. "Did you, by any chance, touch my herbs?"
I put on my best 'who, me?' face. "Me? Touch your precious, meticulously organized, probably-about-to-save-the-world herbs? Never! I'm a connoisseur of personal space, Sakura-chan."
"These," she held up a crushed, distinctly non-medicinal-smelling leaf, "are weeds."
[SAKURA HARUNO LIKE METER: 30% - ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: BASIC MEDICAL NINJUTSU (LOW EFFICIENCY), SUPER STRENGTH (LOW LEVEL)]
The moment the words left her mouth, her face went from simmering annoyance to full-blown volcanic eruption. Her fist, imbued with that legendary super strength, slammed into the ground beside her, cracking the earth.
"ADAM IZUKU! YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
"Well, there it is. The classic Sakura rage. It's truly a thing of beauty, like a perfectly orchestrated symphony of impending doom. And honestly, a little bit terrifying. But mostly beautiful. I mean, look at that crater! Pure artistry. And to think, all it took was a few dandelions and a healthy dose of my charming personality."
I was already halfway up a tree, scrambling with an agility I didn't know I possessed until sheer terror provided the motivation. "Just trying to inject a little more 'natural' healing into your regimen, Sakura-chan! Think of it as holistic medicine!"
She roared, a surprisingly un-feminine sound, and began tearing through the training ground, uprooting trees as she went. It was exhilarating. And terrifying. Mostly terrifying.
My reputation was solidified. The Pink-Haired Menace had a new rival, and I was firmly in the crosshairs of Konoha's most volatile kunoichi. All according to plan. Well, mostly. I hadn't accounted for the tree uprooting. That was new. I needed to revise my risk assessment matrix.