Naruto: Yes, We're Dating

Naruto felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

It was as if he had put on noise-canceling headphones; the excited chatter, laughter, and teasing around him were automatically muted, leaving only a few simple characters like rolling thunder, speaking of his failure.

"They weren't eliminated... and they said they discovered my secret. Do they know I'm also a transmigrator?"

A voice screamed in Naruto's mind. His negative emotions immediately resonated with the Nine-Tails inside him, and his consciousness sank into his spiritual world, gazing at the Nine-Tails from afar.

"Oh?" The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto with interest. This seemingly indomitable young man seemed to be in big trouble, enough that even it could sense the turbulent emotions within Naruto.

"Encountered a strong enemy?" The Nine-Tails chuckled, "Why not unleash more of my power? You know, my power is enough to shake the entire ninja world!"

Naruto closed his eyes tightly and began to meditate in his spiritual space.

This was his emergency plan, a way to calm his mind immediately if he lost emotional control.

Not only that, but this process also helped Naruto organize his thoughts.

Upon careful consideration, there was no need for fear. With his current abilities, it was even possible to retreat unscathed under the eyes of a Jonin.

He was simply afraid of the unknown right now.

"It's just difficult to pinpoint the enemy," Naruto said calmly after a while, looking at the Nine-Tails. "It's not worth worrying about."

"Hmph!" The Nine-Tails snorted. It noticed that Naruto had regained control of himself and felt a faint sense of defeat.

"I'll talk to you next time." Naruto's mind moved, and he returned to reality.

He looked back again with his forehead protector, a hint of emotion in his heart.

Fortunately, he had eliminated many Genin with all his might, preventing them from falling into the clutches of the transmigrator.

What the hell was that? "Hee hee," it was obvious they weren't normal people!

Naruto didn't consider himself a saint, but he held simple values, detested meaningless killing, and didn't want others to be dragged into conflict.

However, a clue gradually formed in his mind.

"Bang!!" Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside the window, followed by a figure wrapped in something, with kunai tied to its four ends, pinning it directly to the ceiling and floor.

A woman wearing a long trench coat over a fishnet top with a wide neckline shouted loudly:

"It's too early to be happy! I am the examiner for the second round, Anko Mitarashi. The next exam awaits you!"

Everyone was startled again, and Anko roughly counted, saying calmly to Ibiki behind her, "18 teams, still quite a lot left."

Ibiki smiled, "Many good seeds have emerged this year." With that, he glanced at Naruto, who was deep in thought.

Anko also met Naruto's gaze for a moment. Naruto was seriously contemplating: Should my grand harem plan include Anko?

Although in Boruto, she and Mei Terumi had let themselves go, it was because I wasn't around. If I were to train them, the situation would definitely be different!

Besides, in the second round, she would also fight Orochimaru. When she was anxious and uncertain, her heart must have been quite vulnerable, right?

When this woman's psyche is vulnerable, she subconsciously looks for support, and that's when this young master makes a dazzling appearance... Perfect.

Naruto decided to make time to communicate emotionally with the vixen while searching for the transmigrator.

"...In that case, let's reduce the number of participants to single digits," Anko said with an evil smile. "I can't wait. I'll tell you the specific requirements when we get to the exam venue."

Training Ground 44, entrance to the Forest of Death.

The trio hid in the center of the crowd, not standing at the front as in the original work, but quietly listening to the rules.

Sakura looked around and whispered to Naruto, "You said you have a clue, what exactly is it?"

Naruto also whispered, "That person just now specifically handed me a note. I thought the tone was quite arrogant, which explains a lot."

"Explains what?"

"It means they likely transmigrated into a named character. In this current instance, the named characters are the Twelve Shinobi, Sand Ninja, Sound Ninja, Grass Ninja impersonated by Orochimaru's forces, and examiners like Anko. I suspect the transmigrator is within one of these teams."

"What if they simply have a peculiar way of thinking and actually transmigrated into a nobody?"

"Let's proceed with normal logic for now; it'll be easier to eliminate possibilities," Naruto licked his lips. "When we enter the instance later, we'll quickly get to the middle and start staking them out. We'll take down whoever we can, and they're bound to slip up."

"Won't that be too ostentatious?"

"It's fine. Except for Gaara and Orochimaru, whom we need to avoid, we can basically crush everyone else."

"Sigh, what if they transmigrated into Orochimaru?"

Naruto was silent for a moment: "...It means the author isn't writing a power fantasy anymore and has switched to a tragedy. I advise them not to be ungrateful."

"..." Sakura was silent for a long time and said, "We should still consider that possibility."

Sasuke, standing nearby, leaned closer, his eyebrows raised. "You two have been whispering for quite some time. Is there anything you can't discuss with me?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and suddenly thought of the Curse Mark.

According to the original story, Sasuke would be implanted with the Curse Mark of Heaven by Orochimaru during this battle, a major turning point in his life.

The question is, should he follow the plot? And would the transmigrator interfere during this process?

Sakura's gaze also became serious; she had also noticed this crucial point.

Naruto gently pushed Sasuke aside. "Big brother, can you let us two have a private chat for a while longer?"

Sasuke's eyebrows nearly flew off his head. Naruto immediately patted him on the shoulder with a heartfelt tone:

"Can't you tell? We're dating right now."

"Huh?"

Sakura's eyebrows shot up, her cheeks flushing slightly.

That pervert!

Unexpectedly, Naruto continued without batting an eye. "You should give couples some privacy, right?" With that, he shamelessly winked at Sakura.

Sakura glared fiercely at Naruto. Although his sudden move caught her off guard, upon further thought, they had indeed private messaged each other far too many times.

If explained as dating, then everything would naturally fall into place, and who knew how many more times they might private message in the future.

After hearing Naruto's explanation, Sasuke's expression also began to shift uncomfortably. His mind was consumed by revenge, and he didn't understand worldly love, but he could indeed sense the presence of a third wheel.

That presence was himself...

"Cough, cough, alright, but if there's any official business, I need to be present too." With that, Sasuke turned and walked a few steps away.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Sakura still glaring at him indignantly, he quickly explained, "My dear lady, is this the time to worry about such trivial matters? We should discuss whether or not to let Sasuke be cursed."

Sakura rubbed her face, fell silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded.