Naruto pulled his hand from Haruno Sakura's hair and grabbed Sasuke by the throat, hoisting him high into the air.
Sasuke's face turned visibly red as he kicked his legs in midair.
"Naruto! What are you doing? Let go!" Haruno Sakura's bright green eyes went wide. She grabbed Naruto's arm and shook it with all her might.
However, Naruto didn't let go. He watched Sasuke struggle.
He had never been good at sorting out relationship problems. His sworn older brother, Haku, was even worse. He'd toyed with his childhood friend like she was a whore, then chased after her for years without success, before finally using his status as the young lord of the Heavenly Kingdom to force her to strip and rape her.
With that cautionary tale in mind, Naruto decided to show Haruno Sakura a little more respect. After all, she was his first love.
He still remembered how stunning she'd looked the first time he saw her, how she'd left him dazed. It was a stirring of young love rooted in his genes, a desire born of instinct.
Naruto wanted to satisfy that desire.
But when he saw how a single word from Sasuke could make Haruno Sakura force herself to do anything, he felt anger.
What angered him even more was that no amount of strength could change the fact that Haruno Sakura was Sasuke's lovesick lapdog.
Sasuke shoved at his arm, the Sharingan activated in his flushed purple-red face. He tried to form Hand Seals, but Naruto slapped his hands aside again and again.
Haruno Sakura was crying beside him, sobbing loudly as tears streamed down her face. Her voice was raw with anguish as she shouted, "Naruto! We're comrades!"
Yes, Naruto knew. Those two were both willing participants, and it was their freedom to do as they pleased.
But it still pissed him off.
Could he lie to himself and say he didn't care about this whore?
No.
"Naruto! I'll do it! I'll go out with you! Just... let Sasuke go! He's going to die! He really is!"
Haruno Sakura was sobbing too hard to get the words out clearly.
Naruto really did release Sasuke, flinging him to the ground.
A humiliation unlike any he'd ever felt crashed through Sasuke. He'd been spared because Haruno Sakura had begged for him.
The pressure and pain he'd accumulated over the years ignited along with his memories.
In his blood-red eyes, the black dot spun and took shape. It was the second Tomoe of the Sharingan.
He felt himself growing stronger. The world before his eyes became clearer. He pushed off the ground and leaped up, drawing back his fist in midair to fight Naruto again.
But Naruto had no interest in playing with Sasuke anymore. He swung a kick into Sasuke's stomach, sending him flying five meters through the air and crashing off the bridge into the rushing river.
He didn't spare Haruno Sakura a glance.
She'd agreed to be with him for someone else's sake?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Disgusting.
Haruno Sakura looked at Sasuke, standing in the river, soaked and lost, then at Naruto, turning his back and walking away without a word.
Her tears wouldn't stop, and she had no idea what to do.
But she had to say something. She had to.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
Her expression crumpled completely. Her nails dug into her palms as she curled inward with all her might and screamed until her voice broke. "I just like you both! What did I do wrong?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Haruno Sakura's expression turned resolute.
She understood now. She wanted them both!
Her voice suddenly rang with confidence, and she moved with boldness. She ran after Naruto, spread her arms to block his way, then threw herself around him with all her strength.
Rising quickly onto her toes, she pressed her lips toward Naruto's, wanting to give her first kiss to someone she liked who liked her back.
Slap!
Naruto struck Haruno Sakura across the left cheek. It didn't hurt, but the slap rang out, leaving a huge red handprint.
"Get lost!"
Then he swung his arm and sent Haruno Sakura tumbling to the ground.
But now that Haruno Sakura had made up her mind, would a slap really drive her away?
She scrambled to her feet, fire blazing in her eyes. Chasing after one person was chasing; chasing after two was still chasing. Since Sasuke wasn't interested in her, she'd start with Naruto!
"Naruto! I'm taking the Chunin Ninja Exams. I'll be waiting for you at the school gate tomorrow!"
"Don't be ridiculous." Naruto's gaze turned cold. "Women are damn harder to understand than magnetic fields."
The next day dawned bright and sunny.
Naruto woke up at two in the afternoon.
He'd practiced with his sword all night, only going to sleep once the birds began chirping and the sky had grown bright.
Before bed, he'd decided that if he slept past four today, he wouldn't take the Chunin Ninja Exams. But it was only two.
A man kept his word, so he got up.
With Kubikiribōchō strapped to his back, Naruto headed to the Ninja Academy.
At the gate, Sasuke stood with his usual cool demeanor, head cocked to one side. Haruno Sakura waved at Naruto enthusiastically, as if nothing had happened the day before.
"I knew you'd come." Haruno Sakura's smile was especially radiant, her eyes shining as she looked at Naruto.
Sasuke had been feeling awful the day before, since Naruto had hit him over a woman. But after he looked in the mirror and saw the second Tomoe, his anger vanished.
Could being pushed to his breaking point by Naruto make him stronger? He had an idea.
The three of them entered the school building. A crowd of Ninja had gathered outside classroom 301.
Two older Ninja with arrogant expressions stood in front of the door, keeping people out. They'd also knocked a Konoha Ninja in a green bodysuit, with a bowl cut and thick eyebrows, to the ground.
But Naruto's attention settled on the long-haired man beside the bowl-cut youth.
He had Byakugan eyes, just like Hinata.
Naruto didn't go over to ask questions. Hinata was a good girl, but that didn't mean everyone in the Hyuga Family was good. He'd already seen what the head of the Hyuga Family was like.
He walked straight toward the arrogant Ninja guarding the door and drew Kubikiribōchō.
The sight of a 1.6-meter-tall youth in a trench coat carrying a 2.5-meter-long sword instantly drew everyone's attention.
Naruto leveled the blade. "Move."
His presence was so imposing that the whole corridor fell silent.
Just then, Haruno Sakura tugged at his clothes and leaned close to whisper in his ear. "This is room 201. It's been disguised with Genjutsu. They're probably Konoha examiners in disguise, testing the candidates' eyesight."
Sasuke came up on Naruto's left. Together with Haruno Sakura, he pulled Naruto toward the room.
Naruto had to admit, teammates could be useful. They could help him avoid awkward situations. He was both wise and brave, but even he could make a mistake now and then.
The room numbers had all been switched around. The first test before signing up for the exam was finding room 301.
As the three of them walked along, a passionate shout suddenly rang out behind them.
"Wait!"
The bowl-cut youth hurried up to Haruno Sakura and raised his thick eyebrows. "You're Little Sakura, right? I'm Rock Lee!"
Haruno Sakura didn't recognize him. She frowned at the green bodysuit. "What do you want?"
"Please go out with me! I'll protect you with my life!" Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up and smiled, his teeth gleaming white.
Haruno Sakura immediately shook her head and wrapped herself around Naruto's arm. "Sorry, I already like someone."
Rock Lee lowered his head in disappointment for a second, then immediately looked up at Naruto. "You're the new top student, the genius Ninja Sasuke Uchiha, right?"
"I am," Sasuke said darkly.
Rock Lee looked at Naruto in confusion. "Then who are you?"
Haruno Sakura raised her arm and shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto!"
Rock Lee had naturally heard that name before. But the fox demon in his memory was a dead-last who'd failed the graduation exam again and again.
The trench-coated man in front of him, with a huge sword strapped to his back, was clearly powerful—terrifyingly so.
He already wanted to fight him.
But time was running short.
He had to carry out his plan first and test whether his technique could surpass the Sharingan. "Sasuke! Fight me!"
Sasuke hadn't replied yet.
A cold voice suddenly came from behind them. "You're Uzumaki Naruto?"
As soon as the words fell, the long-haired man with the Byakugan flashed to Rock Lee's side, ignoring Naruto.
"I'm Hyuga Neji. By order of the head of the family, I'm here to stop you from approaching Miss Hinata and to eliminate you."
Before you continue