What the Hell Is This Cross-Dressing Fantasy?

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have unlocked the achievement: Become a Genin!]

[Achievement reward unlocked: Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon: Second Form: Star Treading. Would you like to unlock it now?]

That night.

Sasuke had just returned to the dorm after hanging out at Ichiraku Ramen.

Then the system's notification suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Unlock!"

His eyes lit up, and Sasuke unlocked it without a second thought.

In the next instant,

strange images flooded into Sasuke's mind like a raging tide.

Sharp, needle-like pains coursed from the crown of his head throughout his entire body.

Sasuke immediately realized what was happening: his swordsmanship was about to advance by leaps and bounds.

With that thought, he clenched his teeth and, through sheer force of will, moved his body, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. While he was still lucid, he threw himself onto the dorm bed.

His body was on the verge of collapse. The moment he felt the softness beneath his back,

his consciousness seemed to be dragged into chaos by an invisible hand, and he lost all awareness.

Sasuke fell into a deep sleep without even having time to take off his clothes...

By the time Sasuke woke again, it was already the next morning.

A rooster's crow rang across Konoha, bringing Sasuke back to his senses.

"So this is the second form of Dance of the Crescent Moon?"

"It really is something..."

This time, with the system's help, Sasuke had mastered the second form, Star Treading, just by sleeping—and he had started at level 3.

The only thing that fell short was that he still hadn't leveled up.

But a string of affection gains had already sent his charm value soaring while Sasuke was none the wiser.

At this point, his charm value had reached a whopping 114!

He opened the system panel with a thought and checked the history of his charm value gains:

"Shock from Hatake Kakashi +10..."

"Praise from Gekko Hayate +25..."

"Moved by Uzuki Yugao +20..."

"Would only marry you from Haruno Sakura +50..."

"Denial from Uzumaki Naruto +10, cross-dressing fantasy +55..."

Wait...

When he saw the last entry, Sasuke rubbed his eyes, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

"I can understand the +10 for denial, but what the hell is this cross-dressing fantasy?..."

Sasuke's face turned green. That fantasy had contributed 55 points—five more than Sakura's!

What on earth was going through Naruto's head?...

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Sasuke. The corner of his mouth twitched as he murmured to himself:

"Th-this guy couldn't have fallen for me, could he?..."

"No, Naruto. I know I'm handsome, but you can't go down the wrong path!"

"Besides, what would happen to Hinata?"

"Wait... don't you like Sakura?..."

At the thought, Sasuke silently screamed, on the verge of a breakdown.

It was bad enough that people of all ages liked him, but he couldn't handle being popular with both men and women...

Ninja Academy.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed.

It was already noon.

Sasuke received a message sent by one of Kakashi's men.

It said a D-rank mission had come in and that the three members of Team 7 should get ready and head to the Hokage Office.

If they could reach an agreement with the client, Kakashi would take the three of them out tomorrow for their first field mission after becoming Genin.

Sasuke knew that a first time was serious, no matter the circumstances.

So he didn't waste time. As soon as he got the message, he rushed to the Ninja Academy to meet up with Naruto and Sakura.

"Ah, hahaha... Sasuke, you're here! That's great!..."

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto was the first to eagerly rush over when he arrived at the Ninja Academy.

He slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulder and laughed with him as if they were old friends...

"Something's definitely off. This guy must be up to something!..."

Sasuke wondered to himself, and almost immediately thought of that earlier charm-value entry about a [cross-dressing fantasy]...

A chill ran through him, and he shivered unconsciously as he thought:

"Could this guy be..."

He looked at Naruto, who was winking at him, and grew even more wary.

"Looks like the old saying was right. Boys really do need to protect themselves when they go out..."

A few minutes later, in the restroom.

"Hahaha... Sasuke, just stay right here for a while!..."

Bang, bang, bang!

As Naruto finished speaking, several Shadow Clones burst into clouds of white smoke.

Seeing Sasuke tied up like a bundle of firewood thanks to his little trick,

Naruto grinned triumphantly, turned, and darted out through the restroom door.

A few seconds later, an identical copy of Sasuke suddenly stepped out of a stall.

He formed a hand seal, and the Sasuke tied up like a bundle of firewood burst into a cloud of white smoke, leaving only a length of broken rope on the floor.

"What the hell is this guy up to?..."

Sasuke frowned, thought it over for a moment, then cautiously followed the trail Naruto had left behind.

"I'm just trying it out. It's not like I'm doing anything wrong, right?..."

By now, Naruto had already transformed into Sasuke.

Sakura was sitting on a bench not far away, lost in thought. Every so often, she smiled to herself, her face as lovely as a cherry blossom.

"B-but maybe I shouldn't..."

Naruto had planned to use the Transformation Technique to look like Sasuke and have a proper conversation with his goddess, Sakura.

He wasn't asking for anything else. He just wanted to get to know her better.

Maybe if he tried hard enough, one day Sakura would like him the way she liked that annoying Sasuke...

But this was his first time doing something so secretive, especially when it involved the girl he adored.

It was easy enough to think about beforehand, but when it came time to act, he just couldn't bring himself to take that step...

"Ah... Sa... Sasuke! C-come sit here..."

Just as Naruto was still hesitating,

Sakura suddenly noticed him.

Her face flushed with shyness. Though she stumbled over her words, her tone was unusually gentle.

"I..."

Naruto swallowed. He didn't know where he found the courage, but somehow, blushing and excited, he shuffled over...

"S-Sakura, would you like to... to have dinner with me tonight?..."

Naruto scratched his head, looking completely at a loss.

He didn't know how much resolve it had taken to stammer out those words.

"Ah?..."

At that, Sakura looked at the Sasuke beside her in surprise.

He was all smiles and had no sense of decorum. For some reason, Sasuke seemed strangely different today.

Honestly,

if it weren't for that handsome face she was always thinking about,

she would sooner believe this was Naruto than the aloof heartthrob who usually paid her no attention.

But the tiny doubt that had just surfaced was quickly swept away by the hormones flooding through her.

She pressed her soft lips together, her cheeks tinged pink, and shyly thought:

"C-could it be that my true feelings have finally moved my crush?..."