Resonance

A small tuft of catkins drifted past Sakura's blushing face, catching a strand of her cherry-pink hair and plucking at her heartstrings just so.

It felt as if a kitten had given her a gentle scratch.

In an instant.

Her throat bobbed, her breathing grew rapid, and her voice turned increasingly soft and alluring:

"Sa... Sasuke, actually I, I..."

She stammered for a long time, her cheeks burning like fire, yet she could not utter a single coherent word.

Naruto also sensed the heat radiating from Sakura; even as dense as he was, he realized something was amiss.

Swallowing hard, Naruto asked with an unnatural expression:

"Sa... Sakura, you..."

For some reason, the words he had prepared in his mind simply refused to come out.

It felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat, leaving him overwhelmed with a complex mix of emotions.

As their eyes met, a thread of pure affection suddenly wove itself into an invisible line, binding their heartstrings together, refusing to let go for a long time.

It was as if some unseen sentiment was fermenting in the air, growing beyond control.

Their breathing grew heavier, and her watery, beautiful eyes were filled with pure affection.

The next moment.

Sakura slowly closed her emerald eyes, her lithe body softening as she leaned unconsciously toward Naruto, who sat beside her.

Hormones diffused through the space around them.

A unique, maidenly fragrance drifted into Naruto's nostrils, leaving him dazed and mesmerized.

Whoosh!

Just then, as if by the hand of fate, a cool breeze swept by, and the haze in Naruto's eyes instantly cleared!

"No! I am Naruto, not Sasuke!"

"Although it would quench my thirst, a forced melon is never sweet."

"I want Sakura's heart, not to possess her through such means..."

Thinking this, Naruto hesitated no longer; he leaned back and stood up abruptly.

Sakura kept her eyes closed, her body limp, feeling that this was the happiest moment of her life—the moment she was closest to Sasuke!

She had rehearsed this moment in her dreams countless times.

However, when she realized that the heat she expected to meet her had failed to arrive, she slowly opened those emerald eyes once more.

"Sa... Sasuke, I'm... I'm sorry, I lost my composure just now..."

Her beautiful eyes darted about, shimmering with a mist of tears.

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

Seeing this, Naruto felt equally awkward and could only scratch his head, offering a stiff consolation:

"Sa... Sakura, actually I am..."

Naruto felt that he might have taken this game too far.

He wanted to spill the truth of the matter.

But just then, his ears twitched as he suddenly heard two voices whispering behind him:

"Sigh... it's great to be a genius, having a pretty girl chasing after you. It's truly enviable..."

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

"Ah? Really? Isn't that just like that Naruto in our class?..."

"Exactly. Come to think of it, both of them seem like jinxes—one cursed his parents to death, the other cursed his entire clan..."

"Ouch, well, we didn't know before, but now that we do, we'd better stay away from those two from now on..."

"Hey, I heard they've already successfully become Genin. In the future, you won't even be able to see them if you wanted to..."

"Who would want to see those two jinxes? Looking for trouble?..."

"Heh, Sasuke is a genius, and he's handsome. You might not want to, but there are plenty of pretty girls in our class who do..."

"Hmph! What's the use of being handsome? He's still just an orphan who cursed his whole clan, just like Naruto..."

"Shh... keep it down..."

Hearing the conversation between the two boys not far away, Naruto was instantly stunned.

He didn't take in any of the words that followed, focusing only on that most piercing provocation.

He did not move, but stood in place with his head lowered, muttering to himself:

"Is that annoying guy a poor wretch just like me?..."

For some reason, a pang of pain struck his heart. Thinking back on the scenes where he had targeted Sasuke, a sudden, indescribable sense of guilt washed over him.

A resonance welled up from within.

"Let's go, or we'll be late and get scolded by Iruka again..."

"Yeah..."

The conversation between the two boys drifted from behind him once more.

Naruto, however, was jolted from his deep contemplation. He spun around abruptly and shouted at the two who were about to leave:

"Hey! You two jerks!"

"If you don't apologize to Sasuke!"

"Do you think you can just walk away like that!..."

He gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight, his eyes filled with deep hostility toward the pair not far away.

This... how could this guy hear us whispering from all the way over there?...

The two boys looked at each other with strange expressions, their faces full of confusion.

They thought, aren't you Sasuke yourself?

And now you're saying we can't leave unless we apologize to Sasuke?

This guy must have lost his mind from anger...

But then they reconsidered: the person standing opposite them was Sasuke!

He was the genius who had conjured dozens of Shadow Clones during the graduation exam!

He was a figure far beyond their reach!

If they didn't apologize?

They'd be lucky if he just gave them a beating, and that was assuming he showed mercy—especially since "Sasuke" looked so furious right now...

At this thought, the tall boy who had been so arrogant earlier lost his nerve. His throat bobbed, and he stammered in reply:

"S-sorry, is that good enough for you..."

The other, shorter boy had already hidden behind the tall one, trembling all over, too terrified to utter a single word.

"I'm not asking you to apologize to me, I'm talking about Sasuke! Sasuke! Can't you two understand that!..."

Naruto was so furious that his mind was a blur; he had completely forgotten that he was currently standing there in the guise of Sasuke.

He shouted recklessly, repeatedly emphasizing the name Sasuke.

This again?

But aren't you Sasuke, and isn't Sasuke you?

The two boys exchanged glances. Having grown up together, a single look was enough for them to instantly understand what was going on.

This "Sasuke" wasn't looking for an apology at all—he was just looking for an excuse to beat them up!

Run! They had to run! If they didn't, judging by the look of rage on "Sasuke's" face, they'd be lucky to escape without losing a layer of skin!

With that thought, the two began to back away slowly, then turned and bolted toward the classroom!

No matter how much of a slacker Naruto was, he was still a Genin.

How could he let two mere brats, who were struggling just to graduate, slip through his fingers?

Seeing this, he didn't even think. Subconsciously, he surged his chakra, his figure flickered, and he blocked their path. Gritting his teeth, he snarled:

"You two, thinking of leaving without apologizing? Isn't that a bit too much!..."

Seeing this, the two boys were scared out of their wits.

But they realized that, given the current situation, they probably couldn't escape this beating.

Fortunately, there were two of them. If they fought back, perhaps one of them could escape the clutches of "Sasuke."

Therefore, their only option was to join forces and make a stand; if one could get away, that was one less person suffering.

And the one who escaped could go find Iruka quickly, which might mean the other one would get beaten a little less.

The two exchanged a look, then threw themselves at the "Sasuke" in front of them, one from the left and one from the right.

Naruto still hadn't realized his current appearance. He thought, I'm just asking these jerks to apologize, and they actually want to fight me?

Even though my chakra is often unstable, making me perhaps the weakest in Team 7.

That doesn't mean I can be bullied by two students who can barely pass graduation!

At this thought, Naruto clenched his fists and charged toward the two incoming boys.

He had intended to subdue them in one move and force them to apologize to Sasuke.

But who would have thought that after a single exchange, Naruto would be pinned to the ground by the two of them!

"Damn it! My chakra is gone again for no reason!..."

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