She Really Seems to Like You

Sasuke braced himself against a stone pillar to stand, gravel cascading from his back.

He looked at Sakura, who was panting at the edge of the training ground, and brushed the sand off his shoulder.

"How did you end up here?"

White Dog turned his head to look at Sasuke, then back at Sakura.

"How else? She snuck here following you, same as that short blond brat."

Sakura choked on White Dog's words, her fists clenching tight.

She kept her gaze locked on Sasuke, ignoring White Dog's mockery.

"Sasuke-kun, your injuries—"

"My business is my own; no need for others to worry." Sasuke withdrew his gaze from Sakura and bent down to pick up the kunai lying on the ground.

He sheathed the kunai back into the holster on his thigh, his movements slightly slowed by the bite wound on his left arm.

"It's getting dark, and the path here is treacherous." Sasuke walked to the edge of the training ground. "I'll see you back."

"I'm not a child anymore." Sakura lowered her head, her pink bangs obscuring her eyes.

"I know Sasuke-kun is very strong."

Her knuckles turned white as she dug her nails into her palms. She looked up, her emerald eyes filled with anger, but even more so with frustration.

"I don't want to just watch from behind, and I don't want to be treated as a burden."

White Dog pricked up one ear. "Oh? Big Forehead is actually saying something sensible for once."

"Keep quiet for a second." Sasuke pressed down on White Dog's head, pushing him toward the ground.

He looked at Sakura, pondered for a moment, then withdrew his hand and shoved it into his pocket.

"Do you want to get stronger?"

"Yes." Sakura's voice lacked the forced hardness from before, but it hadn't softened either.

"Is it because of me?" Sasuke looked at her.

Sakura froze, her lips moving, but no sound came out.

Sasuke turned around and walked a few paces ahead.

"Everyone has their own goals; there's no need to set yours based on someone else."

Sakura gritted her teeth. "But Sasuke-kun, aren't you pushing yourself just as hard? Why can't I?"

Sasuke's gaze drifted past the broken wall at the edge of the training ground, landing in the direction of the distant, cleared-out clan compound.

"It's not that you can't, I just want you to think carefully about what you truly want."

"To have a teacher and classmates, to have people you can communicate with normally, to be able to grow up safely in one place."

Sasuke's voice was faint, as if he were talking to himself.

"That is already a luxury."

Sakura opened her mouth.

She thought Sasuke was talking about the Uchiha clan.

But she didn't know that what appeared in Sasuke's mind wasn't these ruins, but the figure of a man with white hair.

Sakura stood behind him, her lips moving, but she swallowed the words she had intended to say.

Sasuke didn't look back and continued walking forward.

"If you want to get stronger, be pragmatic."

"Use everything you can, and don't let your reach exceed your grasp."

White Dog followed at Sasuke's heels, glancing sideways at Sakura, who was still standing where she was.

"Hey, aren't you coming?"

Black Dog walked beside Sakura, waiting for her to start moving.

Sakura lowered her head, and the rustling sound of her feet stepping over gravel began to follow behind Sasuke.

By the time they walked out of the Uchiha compound, the sky had mostly darkened.

Lanterns began to light up along the shopping street, and several izakayas had their noren curtains still hanging, not yet pulled back.

Sasuke walked on Sakura's left, with the two dogs following behind.

Sakura's home was on the north side of the shopping street, a two-story building with a few potted plants by the entrance.

Sasuke stopped outside the gate.

"We're here."

Sakura pushed open the gate and walked to the entrance.

When she turned around, Sasuke had already turned and walked a few paces away.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke stopped and tilted his head to glance at her.

"See you at school tomorrow." Sakura's voice carried a thin layer of nasal tone, and her cheeks were obscured by the shadows of the eaves.

Sasuke gave a slight nod and continued on his way back.

White Dog looked back to ensure Sakura had closed the door before he spoke.

"My, oh my, the obsession of a young girl. I truly get the feeling she likes you."

"We're just kids. What could we possibly know about liking someone?"

"That's hard to say. Obsessions are cultivated from a young age—take your feelings for Tsumiki, for example..."

"Do you want me to beat you to the brink of death and force you back into the shadows?"

The next day.

When Sakura walked into the classroom, Ino was just standing up from her seat.

The words "Forehead-girl, you're so late today" were already on the tip of her tongue, but once she saw the look on Sakura's face, she swallowed them back down.

Sakura's shoulder-length hair was tied into a simple ponytail with that red ribbon, with the stray strands tucked behind her ears.

She walked to her desk, pulled out a neatly folded training ground reservation form, and laid it flat to begin filling it out.

"Hey... Sakura, what's gotten into you today?" Ino walked over, resting her hand on the corner of the desk.

"Nothing much." Sakura continued writing on the form. "I just feel like I've wasted too much time in the past."

She finished the last line, set her pen down, and looked up at Ino.

"Ino, are you coming to the training ground this afternoon?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

At the same time, a sudden burst of noise erupted from the back of the classroom.

"Naruto! Your Body Replacement, Transformation, and Clone techniques really haven't improved at all!"

Kiba sat straddling his chair, arms draped over the backrest, laughing wildly.

"During the Transformation test yesterday, you turned into Iruka, but you even got the hair color wrong! Hahahaha—"

Naruto put his hands on his hips, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Mind your own business! I've made huge progress lately! I can hit the target with shuriken now! And I did it three times!"

"Yeah, yeah, three times—all on someone else's target." Kiba rolled his eyes.

Naruto didn't argue; instead, he leaned over, scooped a black mass from under his seat, and cradled it in his arms.

Black Dog, suddenly hoisted into the air with his limbs dangling against Naruto's chest, wore an expression that clearly asked what he was trying to do now.

"Hmph! I'm working this hard, obviously because—" Naruto held Black Dog up in front of Kiba, "—I want Black to see how amazing I am!"

Black Dog's tail gave Naruto's wrist a light flick.

"Put me down."

"No way! You're my comrade! You have to watch me become Hokage!"

"I am not your comrade."

Kiba looked at Naruto with disdain, slapping the back of his chair hard. "He's Sasuke's dog, alright! Since when did he become your comrade!"

But he quickly shifted to an expression of admiration. "Naruto, even though you're annoying, I get you! I want Akamaru to think I'm amazing, too!"

Akamaru poked his head out from the collar of Kiba's hoodie. "Woof!"

Several girls in the front row turned around at the commotion.

"Are Naruto and Sasuke-kun's ninja hound really that close? What is he going crazy about now..." a girl with twin tails poked the person next to her.

"Didn't they say they live next door to each other? It seems like they get along pretty well?"

"You're lying, right? Someone like Sasuke-kun would actually pay attention to Naruto?"

White Dog, who had been lying on Sasuke's desk, lifted his head at the noise.

The tip of his tail stood up, and his mouth curled into a grin.

"Sasuke wouldn't bother practicing with him. That blond idiot is just being thick-skinned and following him around."

"Who are you calling thick-skinned!" Naruto put Black Dog down and pounded his chest in White Dog's direction. "Sasuke agreed to it, obviously!"

The chatter in the classroom grew even louder.

Ino looked at Naruto, bewildered.

"Sasuke-kun is helping Naruto practice shuriken...?"

A figure with a ponytail cut in from the side and stopped next to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, can I come to the training ground this afternoon?"

Sasuke tilted his head to look at Sakura, then gave a slight nod.

"Suit yourself."

White Dog wagged his tail in confusion: "What's wrong with everyone today? Suddenly having a change of heart?"

Iruka stepped into the classroom just as the first bell rang.

"We will have our usual group combat drills today, but before that, I have an announcement."

Iruka scanned the classroom.

"The day after tomorrow, we will conduct a wilderness survival exercise. This training will take place at the training grounds on the outskirts of the village. The groups remain the same, and after school tomorrow, I will take everyone to the training grounds to familiarize yourselves with the terrain."

A wave of suppressed excitement rippled through the classroom.

Kiba nudged Shikamaru with his elbow: "Wilderness training! We can finally get out of school!"

Shikamaru lay lazily on his desk: "What a drag. It's just training in a different place, what's there to be happy about?"

"Naruto!" Iruka raised his voice, "Don't think you can slack off just because we'll be in the woods; I'll be keeping a close eye on you!"

"I won't slack off!" Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, grinning to reveal a mouthful of white teeth.

"I'm definitely better than everyone else in the woods! I've been in the woods since I was..."

"Alright, alright." Iruka cut him off and opened the attendance book, "Let's officially start class. Everyone, turn to page thirty-seven of your basic ninjutsu textbook."