Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
By the time Sasuke had finished consolidating his newly improved swordsmanship,
the sun was already high in the sky, its warm rays spilling across every corner of the training ground.
"Hehe, Sakura, are you hot?"
"Why don't you walk behind me? You wouldn't want to get tanned..."
"No, thanks..."
"Sakura, want to get ramen together after today's test?"
"I heard Teuchi's got a new item on the menu..."
"No, I'm trying to lose weight..."
Naruto and Sakura's voices reached Sasuke from a distance.
It seemed that training in Dance of the Crescent Moon
had greatly enhanced Sasuke's five senses.
So even though the two of them were still some distance away,
he could hear them perfectly clearly.
"Ah... A lovesick fool is a lovesick fool. In the end, he gets nothing..."
"Crown Prince, with a background as good as yours, how can you be so hopeless?..."
Sasuke exhaled a breath of stale air, then slowly opened his eyes again and rose to his feet.
"Huh?... Sasuke! Sasuke! You got here so early!"
Sasuke had only just stood up when Sakura called out to him from far away.
"Oh, I was too excited to sleep last night. You and Naruto aren't late either..."
He didn't explain to Sakura that he'd already been here since last night.
When she came up to him, Sasuke calmly replied.
Sakura wasn't embarrassed by his cold response. Instead, blushing, she asked in a timid voice:
"S-Sasuke, would you like to get ramen together to celebrate after we finish today's test?..."
She stammered, her face full of shy embarrassment.
"Ah?..."
Naruto, who had heard her, was struck as if by lightning!
Wasn't she trying to lose weight?
Why wouldn't she go with me?
But she'll go with this annoying guy?
Damn it!...
Sasuke didn't answer right away.
Instead, he glanced at the bashful Sakura, then at Naruto, who was standing nearby looking utterly dejected.
Then, with a strange expression, he asked Sakura, whose face had turned bright red:
"Is it a group meal?..."
"N-No, just... just the two of us. I... I'll treat you..."
It was as if she'd needed to summon every last ounce of strength to get that one short sentence out.
Sakura kept her head bowed, eyes fixed on the ground. Once she'd finished speaking, her heart raced even faster.
Sasuke smiled to himself and replied without changing his expression:
"Then I'll pass."
"I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going back to bed."
"Bed? Then I could..."
"Could what?..."
"I... I..."
Sasuke acted as if he hadn't heard her and deliberately teased her.
Why? Why do I know he's teasing me on purpose?
And yet, instead of getting angry, I think Sasuke looks more and more handsome...
That was what Sakura thought to herself.
But no matter how thick-skinned she was,
at her age, she couldn't bring herself to say those two rather suggestive words: "sleep with you."
Instead, she grew even more embarrassed and buried her head lower...
[ Ding! Sakura's affection: Charm +1 ]
"Ah..."
Hearing the sudden notification in his mind, Sasuke sighed inwardly:
So being too handsome really is a burden...
Just then,
two whooshes rang out!
Two familiar figures suddenly appeared right in front of Sasuke.
Su Jian's heart jumped. He hurried forward and respectfully asked:
"What brings you two seniors here?"
"Were you passing by on a mission?..."
The two of them were Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao.
At that, Gekko Hayate smiled and replied:
"Why else would we come? We wanted to see just how incredible the peerless genius I've been telling you about really is!"
"Sasuke, you have no idea. I told Yugao about you, but she didn't believe me!"
"So I brought her here to see for herself. My judgment is absolutely right!"
"Don't let me down!..."
It was as if he'd become a different person.
Or perhaps he'd finally let go of some worry.
Gekko Hayate was in an unusually cheerful mood today. As he spoke with Sasuke, a bright smile stayed on his face.
A person shouldn't be arrogant, but they should have pride!
A Jonin had praised him so highly. If Sasuke kept being modest, wouldn't that be insulting him?
With that thought, Sasuke didn't hold back. He bowed and replied:
"Don't worry, senior. I won't let either of you down in today's test."
"Ha ha ha! That's more like it! You really are the one I had my eye on!"
"Keep it up! Konoha's future is yours to shape!..."
Gekko Hayate continued speaking with fervor.
There was something else he didn't say aloud.
Today, Sasuke seemed to be surrounded by an indescribable sword intent, tightly gathered around him without dissipating!
Others wouldn't notice it. Only Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, who had both practiced Konoha-Style Swordsmanship, could sense it faintly.
They simply chose not to mention it.
Unlike Gekko Hayate, whose personality had suddenly changed,
Uzuki Yugao's attention was focused on something entirely different.
Although she was deeply surprised by the sword intent surrounding Sasuke today,
her attention shifted to Naruto almost immediately.
"Why was Naruto in the same class as Sasuke?..."
As for Naruto's background,
others might not know about it.
But Uzuki Yugao had once served as a replacement member after Uchiha Obito died in battle, so she knew Naruto's background inside out.
Before Kakashi left the Anbu, the three of them had been colleagues.
"Probably because Sasuke's talent is so incredible..."
The moment she thought of that, Uzuki Yugao understood.
A person was influenced by the company they kept.
Having a genius like Sasuke placed beside Naruto to spur him on in secret would be very beneficial to his growth.
Thinking this, Uzuki Yugao shifted her gaze to Sakura, who stood nearby looking bashful.
She couldn't help frowning as she wondered:
"That girl's chakra is so ordinary. How did she end up in the same class as Naruto?"
"Given Naruto's special status, even if they'd chosen one of the Ino-Shika-Cho families, surely this girl wouldn't have made the cut?..."
Girls' gossip... er, no, their instincts were always sharp.
Before long, her eyes lit up. Looking at Sakura, then at Naruto, who kept sneaking glances at her, she concluded:
"Oh! I see. Naruto must have gone to see the Third Hokage in private."
"That kid!"
"He's so young, yet he's already picked out his future wife..."
At the thought, Uzuki Yugao couldn't help giving a wry smile and shaking her head.
Back when she and Gekko Hayate, who was also in the Anbu, had fallen in love,
it had been incredibly difficult.
The happiness they shared today had only come after years of learning to live with each other.
She hadn't expected Naruto to find his true love at such a young age, with the Third Hokage secretly bringing them together.
Uzuki Yugao didn't say anything, and she couldn't have said anything.
But she did feel a little jealous.
Being the Crown Prince really did have its perks...
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