Naruto: Why is the result different from Takasaki's?

Hinata did not notice Naruto's small movements; her attention was entirely focused on Takasaki.

Facing the pinky finger Takasaki extended toward her, she hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly, before she extended her own pinky finger as well.

As he touched the delicate, soft skin of Hinata's fingertip, Takasaki felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.

His future wife was just so easy to swindle.

By dangling a favor like a carrot on a stick, she was already willing to help him cheat on his exam. If he found some random excuse later to trick Hinata into taking a bath with him, it probably wouldn't be that difficult either.

At the same time.

Hinata's heart was pounding rapidly.

From the time she was a little girl until now, this was the first time she had ever hooked pinkies with a boy.

Did this count as holding hands?

Just thinking about it made her already flushed cheeks turn bright red in an instant.

"Takasaki-kun, I, I, I'm going to school now!" Hinata touched her burning cheeks with her other hand, and realizing her loss of composure, she hurriedly released Takasaki's finger, stood up, and fled from Ichiraku Ramen.

Takasaki watched Hinata's retreating figure as she scrambled away, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

If one were to ask when Hinata was at her most beautiful?

Naturally, it was when she was shy.

And if one were to ask when she was even more beautiful?

Naturally, it would be in the future, when she was shy and doing shameful things with him at the same time.

Just as Takasaki was about to stand up and leave, he was called out by Naruto.

Naruto was looking at the notes recorded in his notebook while asking:

"Takasaki, I've figured it out. Your plan today was to get Hinata to agree to eat ramen with you to build your relationship, and then propose that she help you cheat. But I invited Hinata to eat ramen before, and she wouldn't go. Why is that? She seemed to see right through me wanting her to help me cheat."

Naruto told Takasaki about his previous attempt to win over Hinata.

Takasaki shook his head repeatedly as he listened.

"Your intentions were too obvious. Even though we're both dead last, I still understand a girl's heart better than you do. Let me teach you."

Takasaki draped his arm over Naruto's shoulder, acting like an experienced veteran as he imparted his wisdom:

"If you want to build a relationship with a girl by eating ramen, you can't be the one to invite her, because that's what everyone else does. You have to do the opposite and let the girl treat you to ramen! Most girls have never seen such a tactic, so they'll usually agree to it."

Huh? It could be done like that?

Naruto found it hard to believe, yet he had witnessed with his own eyes Hinata paying for Takasaki's ramen.

Seeing is believing.

Takasaki had proven with his actions that this approach worked.

"I've learned it, I've learned it." Naruto continued to take notes diligently.

"And you saw the rest," Takasaki continued. "The next step is to bring up the idea of having the girl help you cheat. As a condition, you have to let her know that you owe her a favor, and she will agree."

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"

Naruto nodded vigorously, continuing to take notes.

Takasaki had been gone for several minutes, but Naruto remained seated in the Ichiraku Ramen shop, staring at his newly recorded notes and reciting Takasaki's tactics over and over again.

The more he recited them, the more confident Naruto felt.

Everything Takasaki taught him had been successfully tested right before his eyes; he was certain he could succeed too.

He just had to wait for a new classmate to take the bait.

Naruto walked out of the Ichiraku Ramen shop and looked at the students coming and going on the street. He soon spotted a male classmate from his class walking in his direction with his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face.

It was Sasuke.

Sasuke passed by Naruto without even sparing him a glance.

Naruto didn't pay any attention to Sasuke either.

Sasuke's grades were good, but unfortunately, all the girls in the class liked him, including Sakura Haruno, the girl he liked.

This made Naruto very annoyed.

Most importantly, Sasuke was a boy, and the tactics Takasaki taught him were specifically for girls; they wouldn't work on a boy.

The annoyed look on Naruto's face quickly returned to a smile.

Because he saw a female classmate walking over.

It was Sakura Haruno.

She was also the girl he liked.

"What good luck, running into Sakura. Having Sakura help me cheat—just thinking about it makes me happy."

However, Sakura's expression seemed a bit off; she looked very downcast.

It was probably because the Graduation Exam was coming up soon, and she was worried about not doing well.

It's fine; Sakura Haruno's grades are excellent, so even if she does poorly on the test, she'll definitely pass the written portion.

Naruto tucked his notebook into his bag and walked toward Sakura Haruno with a confident stride.

At this moment.

Sakura Haruno was in a truly foul mood.

Waiting for Takasaki all morning only to be stood up was one thing, but the real issue was that she had embarrassed herself in front of Sasuke because of it.

What was it like to be called an idiot by the boy you liked?

The experience was that she really wanted to hit someone!

"Sakura." Naruto greeted her.

"Get lost!"

Sakura Haruno looked at the approaching Naruto, feeling incredibly irritable; primarily because Naruto was blocking her view of Sasuke.

Naruto felt a bit intimidated after being snapped at by Sakura Haruno.

Though he was timid inside, he certainly couldn't show it on the surface. He gathered his courage, walked up to her, and recited the script Takasaki had taught him word for word: "Sakura, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen together. You treat me."

What?

Sakura Haruno was stunned for a moment. Once it sank in, she reacted as if she had heard a hilarious joke: "You're inviting me to go eat ramen with you, and you want me to treat you? I pay, is that what you mean?"

Naruto nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly what I mean!"

Sakura Haruno stopped in her tracks, glared at Naruto, and took a deep breath.

She had known for a long time that Naruto liked her.

Logically speaking, since Naruto liked her, shouldn't he be trying to please her?

What was the meaning of asking her to pay for his ramen?

Did Naruto think he was Sasuke!

Or was it that even a dead-last like Naruto was mocking her!

The more Sakura Haruno thought about it, the angrier she became.

Sasuke could mock her because he was talented enough, but what right did a dead-last like Naruto have!

Thinking of this, the anger Sakura Haruno had accumulated throughout the day erupted: "Naruto! You're asking for a beating!!"

With a roar.

Sakura Haruno slammed a heavy fist into Naruto's head. With a bang, Naruto let out a miserable scream as he was knocked to the ground, a large bump swelling on his head.

"I'm warning you, you'd better not provoke me today!" Sakura Haruno glared at the boy sprawled on the ground, stepped over him, and continued to follow silently behind Sasuke.

Naruto clutched the bump on his head and scrambled up: "I clearly followed the method Takasaki taught me, so why did it end like this? It must be that I didn't do it right."

Possessing a cockroach-like refusal to admit defeat, he certainly wasn't about to give up.

Failure wasn't scary; if he kept at it, he would definitely succeed.

He caught up to Sakura Haruno, blocked her path, and said earnestly: "Sakura, if you help me cheat on the upcoming exam, I can owe you a favor. I'll pay you back in the future."

Sakura Haruno put her hands on her hips. After hearing Naruto's words, her eyebrows twitched with rage: "I need a favor from a dead-last like you? Naruto, you're just here to mock me! Bullying a girl like this, you're going too far, ahhhhhhh!!"

Sakura Haruno spun around violently, her long pink hair whipping across Naruto's cheek.

Before Naruto could savor the scent of her hair, he was met with the sole of Sakura Haruno's shoe kicking toward his face: "Go to hell!!!"

In the instant he was kicked flying by Sakura Haruno once again, Naruto's heart was filled with confusion.

He had clearly done exactly what Takasaki said, so why was this the result?

Where exactly did the problem lie?