章 3: Uzumaki Naruto
"Hey, are you okay?"
Sakura Haruno approached the blond-haired boy and helped him up.
"Thank you, thank you..."
The blond-haired boy, awkward and uncomfortable, looked at the pink-haired girl in front of him.
"By the way, my name is Haruno Sakura."
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Haruno... Sakura?"
An old man wearing a red hat watched from a distance, lost in thought.
Originally, he just wanted to visit the Ninja School to see how the new generation of Konoha was growing, but he didn't expect to witness this scene. The little girl with pink hair piqued the old man's interest.
Strictly speaking, this girl, Haruno Sakura, was the first person, besides himself and Iruka, to show kindness to Uzumaki Naruto. Moreover, her practice of gathering chakra in her fist to increase the punch's power reminded him of someone.
"Go and check this child's background," the old man ordered.
"Yes," came a dull response, and something around the old man seemed to vanish.
After enduring another afternoon of class, Haruno Sakura and Ino were walking back as the sun began to set.
"Sakura, you were so impressive this afternoon!"
"Ha!"
Ino grinned, making a fist-pumping gesture in a dramatic way.
"One punch, and the guy was knocked flying!"
"As expected of Sakura!"
Haruno Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Ino's antics. Ino's exaggerated expression reminded her of her adopted father, though in terms of charm, Ino far outshone him.
"Hey, Sakura, you finally smiled!"
Ino, excited to see her friend smile, immediately approached her with a big grin.
"You've been so serious all day that I didn't dare to talk to you."
Ino playfully hugged Haruno Sakura's arm.
Haruno Sakura sighed softly, "That's because I want to study hard..."
Thinking about the Yin Seal that might appear at any time, she felt a headache.
If she was discovered, she wouldn't be able to explain herself.
The only way to explain it was to become stronger, gain recognition from Konoha's top leaders, and get the Yin Seal.
Or maybe she could avoid going to the Torture Department...
At a fork in the road, Ino was about to say goodbye to Sakura when they heard a shout from behind.
They turned around and saw Uzumaki Naruto running towards them.
"Hey, Sakura helped you today, but you can't keep bothering me, right?"
Looking at Naruto, who was covered in dirt, Ino spoke with some annoyance.
Since Naruto had been pinned to the ground and beaten earlier, he was still wearing a dirty white short-sleeved shirt.
"No, that's not it..."
Naruto panicked, trying to explain as Ino gave him a disapproving look.
"Ino, that's not what he meant."
Haruno Sakura, understanding Ino's spoiled temper, knew it wasn't a serious issue.
"Um, Uzumaki-san, what's going on?"
Haruno Sakura smiled politely. She knew Naruto well. Although he was a bit shy now, he would grow up to be sociable, and he wasn't the type to act rudely.
Suddenly, Haruno Sakura had a realization she hadn't considered before. If Ino was involved, she might hesitate, as she was a girl now.
But if it was Naruto...
Sorry, man, step aside.
Without noticing Sakura's change in expression, Naruto shyly pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and said:
"Grandpa said if someone helps you, you should give them a gift to show your thanks."
"This is the most precious thing I have!"
"Please accept it!"
He handed the crumpled Ichiraku Ramen coupon to Haruno Sakura.
It seemed Naruto had been holding onto it for a long time because the handwritten expiration date on it had already passed for three months.
"What? It's just a coupon. What's so precious about it?"
Ino peered over and looked disgusted.
Haruno Sakura stared at the crumpled coupon, remaining silent for a moment before accepting it with a smile. She thought that, in the end, Naruto would end up with Hinata, so she just needed to survive the next ten years of his pursuit.
After saying goodbye to Ino and Naruto, Haruno Sakura looked at the coupon in her hand with a feeling of disbelief.
It hadn't been long, but...
Ten years… what a joke!
Haruno Sakura sighed, feeling her life was dark and wanting to cry but having no tears.
Had she not helped him, she wouldn't have to endure ten years of being chased!
Looking at the crumpled coupon in her hand, she felt like crying and throwing it away. But instead, she reluctantly waved it and kept it.
After all, it was a gift, and throwing it away would be rude.
"Forget it. I'll just throw it in a drawer later..."
The pink-haired girl sighed and walked home with heavy steps.
Little did she know, everything she did had been observed by a pair of eyes.
"Good girl..."
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the little girl in the crystal ball with a smile of satisfaction.
He couldn't help but think of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina.
Though the girl's hair was pink, it wasn't a big issue.
From today's performance, she seemed remarkable.
She helped her classmates, listened attentively in class, and had a gentle, friendly personality.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could see the shadow of the Fourth Hokage in her.
As for strength, that would come later.
"Sakura-chan, why do you look so down today?"
Haruno Mebuki, Sakura's mother, noticed her daughter's mood as she sighed and put down her chopsticks.
"I'm going to the backyard to practice..."
Haruno Kizashi, Sakura's father, exchanged a confused look with his wife. They had made Sakura happy yesterday, so what happened today?
Haruno Mebuki gave her daughter a thoughtful look, then said with confidence:
"This is definitely a confession that was rejected!"
週次パワーステータス
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