Waking Up

Sakura Uchiha chuckled teasingly, her bright eyes and meaningful gaze making Sasuke embarrassed.

A naive young man who has never been in love is still quite shy.

Even though he has undergone rigorous training and personally killed Sasuke, the enemy, and seems mature, his mentality is still very immature in many ways.

Fortunately, the girl quickly let him go.

She steered the conversation back to the main point. "Come on, the biggest difference between that world and ours is the difference between the two Sakuras, right? That Sakura is a completely different person from the original."

"Hmm." Sasuke nodded.

He recalled the events that had occurred in the original world. Surprisingly, it had been several months ago, but the experiences, the battles, every face, every word, including the details of his conversation with the other Sakura before he left, all surfaced clearly in his mind at this moment.

"I know, she and Sakura are not the same person." Sasuke recalled, gazing wistfully ahead, and said slowly.

"The night before I came back here, I had a private conversation with Sakura."

He remembered the scene. It was dusk, and he was facing that familiar face, wanting to ask the same question. [Chapter 480]

But in the end, he got nothing.

He remembered every expression on Ying's face, and the dim light in her eyes.

He knew that she, too, had some things she didn't say.

"So Sakura doesn't actually 'like' Naruto, right? The kind of 'like' between a boy and a girl," Sasuke said.

Sakura Uchiha slowed her pace, taking one step at a time, Earth Flow very carefully.

"I think you're right," she said slowly, a faint smile on her face.

Sasuke slowed his pace, stopping at the same level as the girl, and quietly waited for her answer.

"That Sakura, the way she looked at Naruma, didn't have that kind of affection in her eyes."

When you like someone, the way you look at them is different from how you look at anyone else. There's a kind of light shining in their eyes.

"So..." the girl drawled, as if reciting a final judgment.

Sasuke lowered his eyes, staring silently at the road beneath his feet. Their steps unconsciously became synchronized, the sand and gravel creating a rhythmic rustling sound as they walked.

Sakura Uchiha suddenly turned her head, and Sasuke also raised his eyelids at the same time, their gazes meeting in the air.

"So, the one Sakura likes..." she looked at him, "Is probably Sasuke."

Naruto Uzumaki was awakened by the aroma of food.

He was lying in bed, his nose twitching slightly, then he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. "Ichiraku Ramen!"

"No Ichiraku Ramen here." A familiar voice came from the lobby. Naruto jolted awake, his mind not fully clear, but his body had already jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room without even putting on his shoes.

In the hall, two figures were already waiting in front of Naruto, smiling as they looked at him.

"Sakura, Sasuke!"

Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

But less than half a second later, he pointed at Sakura Uchiha and asked in confusion, "Huh, Sakura, why have you changed...?"

"No, no, that's not right! You're not Sakura!" Naruto's expression changed drastically, and he instantly assumed a fighting stance. "Sasuke, she's not Sakura! Someone has transformed into Sakura's appearance!"

This startled, confused fellow immediately amused both of them.

"Are you still asleep, Naruto? Wake up!" Sakura Uchiha, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "I am indeed not Sakura. Sakura is currently in Shikkotsu Forest, but I am not an enemy! Sakura has already mentioned my identity, hasn't she?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked at Sakura, then at Sasuke was having a good laugh, and finally realized that he seemed to have made a blunder.

"Do you understand now?"

"Oh!" He feigned sudden realization, lowered his guard, and stared intently at Sakura Uchiha for a few seconds. "So, who exactly are you?"

Sakura Uchiha was speechless for a moment, then rolled her eyes wide.

For some reason, seeing Naruto act silly made her want to give him a couple of hard knocks on the forehead.

"Haha!" Sasuke chuckled to himself, but then received another elbow strike and immediately stopped laughing. He even prompted Naruto, "Naruto, think carefully about what Sakura said before she went on her mission."

Naruto frowned, his fox-like face contorting.

After racking his brains for a while, Sakura Uchiha finally revealed her Sharingan, Naruto suddenly realized, "Oh! So you're Sakura's special clone with the Sharingan!"

"Wait a minute!" He slapped his forehead. "Sakura isn't here, how could the clone last for so long?"

He had used the Shadow Clone Technique countless times, and naturally accumulated a lot of experience, understanding the limitations of the clone technique very clearly.

"Because she's not an ordinary clone." This time it was Sasuke who explained, "She's special. In fact... you can completely think of her as another person who looks a lot like Sakura."

The girl nodded and added, "That's right. Imagine if one of your Shadow Clone suddenly became a real person, with its own body and spirit, able to exist independently of the main body. That's my situation, understand?"

"It feels so complicated..." Naruto looked bewildered, and after thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Basically, I see you as another person who is very similar to Sakura, right?"

Bingo!

Sakura and Sasuke snapped their fingers simultaneously, then exchanged a knowing smile.

"You can call me 'Sakura Uchiha'," the girl said. "Sakura instructed me to protect you two while she's away. But my true identity is only known to you two for now. So please don't reveal my identity to outsiders; just treat me as Sakura!"

"What about Sakura?" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"She... is currently recuperating in Shikkotsu Forest." Sakura Uchiha hesitated for a moment, but still told Naruto the truth.

"Recovering from injuries?" Naruto frowned, his expression turning serious. "What exactly happened? Right, I released too much of the Nine-Tails' energy, and it ended up taking over my consciousness! Did we defeat them? Sasuke you alright? Were you attacked by the Nine-Tails?"

He slapped his forehead hard. "Damn it, I can't remember anything!"

"Don't worry, Naruto, I don't know the answers to all these questions at once," Sakura Uchiha said gently. "Anyway, you've slept for two nights already, so let's eat something first. We can eat while we eat!"

Sakura Uchiha was fine, but as soon as she finished, Naruto felt an emptiness in his stomach, and a strong feeling of hunger rose from his empty stomach.

"Eat first!"

The girl magically produced a food box and handed it to Naruto; it was the breakfast she and Sasuke had bought for Naruto in the village earlier.

She pulled Naruto down to sit, and she and Sasuke sat on the other side of the table, saying seriously:

"Now that Naruto is awake, let's start with an information exchange... Let's recount what happened after we separated, and any information that neither of us knew!"

[The storyline involving the Mist Ninja has temporarily come to an end.]

[How about some monthly votes?]