Sakura Returns

Sakura smoothly walked out through the school gates. No one stopped her; no Anbu suddenly jumped out, and Iruka-sensei did not follow behind her.

Everything felt so easy and natural. There were clearly still classes in the afternoon. After eating lunch, she was supposed to rest her head on her desk for a while or bask in the sun on the rooftop before continuing her studies.

Yet she had casually walked out of the school, as though she could go anywhere she wanted...

Sakura was a good student. Though her combat skills were terrible, she excelled in academic subjects. Whether it was material that needed memorizing or calculations that needed solving, she was practically the best in her class.

That was why she could be placed in the same class as ninjas from so many prominent clans. Tails like Naruto did not have such an opportunity.

She had never tried skipping class before. Her heart was pounding now, but when she looked back, she saw Anbu suddenly appear at the school gates.

Sakura was so frightened her legs went weak. So the Anbu had merely reacted too slowly—or perhaps they only acted after confirming that she truly intended to skip class, catching her and dragging her back.

At the thought of being grabbed by the neck like Naruto and tossed back into the classroom like a chicken, her cheeks turned bright red. Sasuke-kun was in the classroom too. If he saw her looking so pathetic...

Sakura covered her face, letting out a few pained sounds involuntarily. But she quickly realized that the Anbu were not coming toward her. Instead, they had gathered at the school's side entrance.

"You can't leave right now!" they shouted sternly.

"Why can't I go out? Look, Sakura already left!" Naruto Uzumaki's voice was sharp. Perhaps