Ah! I Must Have Been Blind Back Then

Sakura Haruno regretted it more and more the longer she thought about it.

If she could do it all over again~

She'd choose Naruto.

The strength he'd shown had earned the admiration of so many people his age!

Was Naruto unattractive?

Not at all!

Especially now that he didn't have those strange whisker marks.

He was so handsome it was almost ridiculous!

And he was strong, too!

Wasn't stealing a bell from an elite High Shinobi proof enough?

Looks and strength—he had it all.

And the key was, Naruto had pursued her before.

Just look at what she'd done all these years?!!

"Ah!!! I must have been blind back then."

"Naruto-kun had so much going for him!"

"Why did I give him up?"

"Turns out people can be more than they seem."

Sakura Haruno was practically sick with regret.

It was true that she'd wanted to pursue Sasuke before.

But a big part of it wasn't because she genuinely liked him.

After all, girls their age

tended to be a little competitive!

So many girls in their class used to like Sasuke.

The talent he'd shown made him a genius.

That was why so many girls wanted to pursue him.

When everyone wants the same thing, it often comes down to competition!

Whoever got it would have something to brag about to their peers!

But Naruto's abilities now made him a bona fide super-genius.

Sasuke was only a little genius by comparison.

And spending time together could make people fall in love~

Back then,

Naruto had pursued her day in and day out for so long...

Anyone would have developed feelings of some kind.

It was a kind of extreme reversal.

Like when there's something you dislike more and more the longer you look at it.

Then one day, it suddenly starts to shine, becomes unattainable, and slips beyond your reach.

And just like that!

Your attitude does a complete about-face.

You become utterly smitten with it!

All in all,

Sakura Haruno was in exactly this kind of situation right now.

The one you can't have is always on your mind, while the one who's adored takes it for granted.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Today was the happiest day of my life. You really didn't have to walk me all the way home..."

"Don't you want your parents to see me?"

Naruto grinned.

He teased her.

He knew Little Hinata was only shy, nothing more.

Your parents are my parents, too.

We'll be husband and wife in the future, after all. We'll be together, won't we?

That would make them his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Naruto knew that.

But Little Hinata didn't.

Just as Naruto had expected,

Little Hinata's chubby, adorable face turned red.

She flailed her hands, her voice flustered.

"I... I didn't mean that, Naruto-kun. Don't get the wrong idea..."

She was afraid Naruto might really misunderstand her.

She was so easily embarrassed, and so cute.

My wife really is the cutest in the whole universe.

Naruto laughed.

"Haha... I get it, I get it."

Little Hinata panicked. Her voice even turned a little tearful, thinking Naruto was just humoring her.

So she quickly added,

"Naruto-kun, I... I really didn't mean it like that."

This time, Naruto's expression grew serious.

He put both hands on Little Hinata's shoulders.

Then he said earnestly,

"Alright, Hinata. I believe you don't have those kinds of thoughts."

Naruto's sudden show of intimacy

made the Byakugan princess, who was so easily embarrassed,

blush even more.

Feeling the strong masculine aura radiating from Naruto,

the little princess's head grew dizzy, and her mind went blank.

Their sweet moment

was witnessed by Sakura Haruno, a lonely single girl, from not far away.

Sakura Haruno was completely dumbfounded.

She stood there staring blankly at them.

She could understand Naruto going after Ino Yamanaka.

After all, Ino Yamanaka was a girl in their class

who could go toe-to-toe with her!

She had the looks.

She had the figure.

Though at their age, everyone was still flat.

So there wasn't much difference between them.

Fine, Naruto didn't choose her.

But he didn't choose Ino Yamanaka, either.

Instead, he went after Hinata Hyuga, the class nobody.

Sakura Haruno was shocked and bewildered.

"Why would Naruto-kun choose Hinata?"

"Hinata's always been practically invisible in class."

"How could a boy as outstanding as Naruto be interested in her..."

"What kind of feminine charm does Hinata have to keep Naruto-kun so captivated?"

She couldn't understand!

She really couldn't understand!

It was no wonder Sakura Haruno thought that way.

Kishimoto the Old Thief had introduced Hinata Hyuga early on,

but hadn't written her as the heroine.

So she naturally got very little screen time.

And on top of that, it was an action series.

Hinata got even fewer scenes.

Then, once Hinata grew up into a beautiful young woman,

she was paired off with the Crown Prince.

But enough about that.

Back to the present.

Hinata's performance in class had always been average.

She wasn't among the top students, but at least she wasn't dragging the class down.

And there were plenty of other pretty girls around at the time.

Little Hinata rarely got any attention.

Besides, the little princess was usually quiet and didn't like talking much.

That made her even less likely to catch anyone's eye.

That was why Sakura Haruno was so confused.

And why she couldn't accept it!

It was the helpless frustration of watching someone else take away the person you loved right in front of you!