The sight of her reluctantly giving in despite her obvious defiance deepened the amusement in Sasuke's eyes.
He suddenly remembered another timeline, and the times he had tussled with that loudmouthed dead last, Naruto Uzumaki.
Once, while they were wrestling, he had accidentally touched a spot on Naruto's waist. The guy had sprung up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, laughing wildly and begging for mercy. Only afterward had Sasuke learned that it was his ticklish spot...
I wonder if this world's Naruko...
An idea crept into his mind almost against his will.
Sasuke's gaze unconsciously flicked toward Naruko's slender waist, outlined by her training clothes.
He released one of the hands pinning hers down, then, partly curious but mostly feeling mischievous, quickly and precisely gave a certain spot on her waist a light pinch.
"Eek!!!"
A short, utterly involuntary shriek escaped Naruko's mouth! Then her body jolted like a fish hit by an electric current, and she began thrashing ten times harder than when he had first pinned her down!
"Hahahaha... stop, stop! You idiot, Sasuke! I already gave up! You—you're fighting dirty! Haha... cut it out! That tickles!"
She laughed and squirmed, nearly in tears. Her normally fair cheeks were now as red as ripe apples. The sudden "attack" had scattered all her earlier embarrassment and indignation, leaving only unbearable tickling and her body's instinctive attempts to escape.
Sasuke had not expected such a strong reaction. Her violent struggling caught him off guard, and he instinctively let go.
Like a startled rabbit, Naruko immediately scrambled out from under him on all fours, rolled aside, then quickly sat up, clutching the spot on her waist he had attacked.
Her face was so red it looked ready to steam, and her blue eyes were wide, filled with