Resonance

A small tuft of fluff drifted past Sakura's flushed, lovely face, lifting a few strands of her pink hair and brushing against her heartstrings.

It was like a cat gently scratching at her.

In an instant.

Her throat bobbed and her breathing quickened. Her voice grew softer and more alluring as she said:

"S-Sasuke, actually, I... I..."

She stammered for ages, her cheeks burning like fire, but couldn't get another word out.

Naruto could feel the heat radiating from Sakura, and even he, as dense as he was, sensed that something was off.

He swallowed and asked awkwardly:

"S-Sakura, you..."

For some reason, the words he'd rehearsed in his mind wouldn't come out.

It was as if a wad of cotton had lodged in his throat, leaving him with a jumble of feelings.

Their eyes met. A hint of innocent affection suddenly formed an invisible thread, binding their heartstrings together so tightly they couldn't pull apart.

It was as though unseen feelings in the air were slowly fermenting, growing completely out of control.

Their breathing grew heavier, and her beautiful, watery eyes brimmed with innocent affection.

The next moment.

Sakura slowly closed her emerald eyes. Her slender body grew limp as she unconsciously leaned closer and closer to Naruto, who was sitting beside her.

Hormones filled the air around them.

A delicate fragrance unique to young girls drifted into Naruto's nose, making him feel a little dizzy and entranced.

Whoosh!

Just then, as if fate had intervened, a cool breeze swept past, and Naruto's dazed eyes instantly cleared!

"No! I'm Naruto, not Sasuke!"

"Sure, it might quench my thirst, but a forcibly picked melon isn't sweet."

"What I want is Sakura's heart, not her body obtained through a trick like this..."

With that thought, Naruto didn't hesitate any longer. He leaned back, retreated, and stood up.

Sakura had her eyes closed, her whole body limp. She felt this was the happiest moment of her life, and the moment she'd been closest to Sasuke!

She'd rehearsed this scene in her dreams countless times.

But when she realized that the warm response she'd expected still hadn't come, she slowly opened her emerald eyes again.

"S-Sasuke, I-I'm sorry. I lost control just now..."

Her beautiful eyes darted about, glistening with tears.

She gave an awkward smile, but the disappointment in her eyes was plain to see.

Seeing that, Naruto grew awkward too. He could only scratch his head and offer a stiff reassurance:

"S-Sakura, actually, I'm..."

Naruto felt he might have taken things too far this time.

He wanted to tell her the whole truth.

But just then, his ear twitched as he heard two boys whispering behind him:

"Man... being a genius is great. Pretty girls even chase after you. I'm so jealous..."

"You don't know? I heard from my dad that this guy named Sasuke had his clan wiped out for no reason a while back. It seems he was the only one in the whole clan who survived because he was at school!..."

"Huh? Really? Then isn't he just like that Naruto in our class?..."

"Exactly. If you think about it, they're both jinxes. One got his parents killed, the other got his whole clan killed..."

"Yikes. We might not have known before, but now that we do, we'd better stay away from those two..."

"Hey, I heard they've already become Genin. Before long, you won't even get the chance to see them..."

"Who wants to see those two jinxes? Are you asking for trouble?..."

"Heh, Sasuke's a genius, and he's handsome too. You might not want to see him, but plenty of pretty girls in our class do..."

"Hmph! So what if he's handsome? He's still an orphan who got his whole clan killed, just like Naruto!..."

"Shh... Keep your voice down..."

Naruto heard the two boys talking nearby and froze.

He didn't hear anything that came after. He only noticed the most hurtful taunt.

He didn't move. He stood there with his head bowed, muttering to himself:

"So that annoying guy's just as pitiful as me?..."

For some reason, his heart ached. Thinking back to all the times he'd targeted Sasuke, he suddenly felt a guilt he couldn't put into words.

A sense of kinship welled up inside him.

"Let's go. We don't want to be late and get scolded by Iruka-sensei again..."

"Yeah..."

The two boys' voices sounded behind him again.

Naruto abruptly snapped out of his thoughts. He spun around and shouted angrily at the pair, who were about to leave:

"Hey! You two jerks!"

"Apologize to Sasuke!"

"You think you can just walk away like that?..."

His teeth ground together, his fists clenched, and his eyes brimmed with deep hostility toward the two boys nearby.

...Wait, could this guy really hear them whispering?...

At his words, the boys looked at each other, baffled.

They thought, Aren't you Sasuke?

And now you're saying we can't leave without apologizing to Sasuke?

He must be so angry he's lost it...

But then they remembered: the person in front of them was Sasuke!

The guy who'd created dozens of Shadow Clones in the graduation exam!

Someone they could only dream of reaching!

If they didn't apologize, they'd be lucky if he went easy on them in a beating. And now "Sasuke" looked furious...

At that thought, the tall boy, who'd been acting so cocky, lost his nerve. He swallowed and stammered:

"S-Sorry, okay?..."

The other boy had already hidden behind the taller one, trembling all over and too scared to say a word.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Sasuke! Sasuke! Don't you two understand?..."

Naruto was so angry now that he'd completely forgotten he was standing there disguised as Sasuke.

He shouted loudly and repeatedly emphasized Sasuke's name.

That again?

But you're Sasuke, and Sasuke is you, aren't you?

The two boys exchanged glances. They'd grown up playing together, and one look was all it took for them to understand what this meant.

This "Sasuke" wasn't going to settle for an apology. He was just looking for an excuse to beat them up!

Run! Run right now! If they didn't, judging by how angry "Sasuke" looked, they'd be lucky to escape without getting beaten half to death!

At that thought, they slowly backed away, then turned and tried to run toward the classroom!

Even if Naruto was a bit of a loser, he was still a Genin.

How could he let two brats who could barely pass their graduation exam slip away right under his nose?

Seeing them move, he didn't think twice. He unconsciously stirred up the chakra throughout his body, dashed forward, and blocked their way. Gritting his teeth, he said through clenched teeth:

"You two haven't even apologized, and you're trying to leave? Isn't that going too far?..."

The sight made the boys' souls nearly leave their bodies.

But now they knew there was no way they'd escape a beating.

At least there were two of them. If they fought together, maybe one could get away from "Sasuke's" clutches.

So their only option was to work together and take a chance. If one of them could get away, that was enough.

The one who escaped could hurry and fetch Iruka-sensei. Maybe the other one wouldn't get beaten quite as badly.

The boys exchanged glances, then threw themselves at "Sasuke" from both sides.

Naruto still hadn't realized what he looked like. He thought, All he'd asked was for these two jerks to apologize. And now they actually wanted to fight him?

His chakra was often unstable, so he might be the weakest member of Team 7.

But that didn't mean he could let two students who could barely graduate bully him!

At that thought, Naruto clenched his fists and charged at the two boys rushing toward him.

He'd meant to take them both down with one move, then make them apologize to Sasuke.

But after only one exchange, the two boys had him pinned to the ground!

"Damn it! My chakra's mysteriously run out again!..."

With his face pressed against the ground, Naruto gritted his teeth, looking indignant.