Hey! Sasuke Took an Interest

Mizuki missed again-and nearly killed Sakura this time!

The kids erupted!

"Sensei! How could you throw a shuriken around like that? It's dangerous!"

"No matter how bad your aim is, it shouldn't be that far off!"

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"You just said you could pierce a skull, and then you threw it right at Sakura's head!"

"Good thing you missed, or Sakura would've been dead!"

"Sensei, you owe us an explanation!"

"Sensei, you owe Sakura's hair an explanation!"

"Otherwise, we'll tell Iruka-sensei and the principal, and let them decide who's right!"

"No, that's not... I, I!"

Unable to defend himself, Mizuki clutched his stomach and said awkwardly, "Ooh, my stomach's upset today! I'm really off my game. Practice on your own for the rest of class!"

With that, he hurried south.

Yu pointed his little finger north. "Sensei, the bathroom's that way."

Mizuki hastily turned around. "Oh! See? The pain's got me all confused!"

Since no one had died, he actually managed to get away with that excuse!

A chilly breeze swept over Sakura's crown. She looked as though her soul had left her body!

It's over, it's over... How can I ever face Sasuke-kun now? Why didn't you just kill me?!!!

Swaying unsteadily, Sakura bent down and picked up the kunai she had dropped in fright!

Naruto cried out in alarm, "Sakura, don't do anything drastic, believe it!!!!"

Sakura shot Naruto a furious glare. "Who asked you, idiot?! Don't look down on me!!"

She stood up with the kunai clenched in her hand, her inner beast awakening. Haha, hahaha! Since I've already made a fool of myself, I might as well... might as well go all the way! At least I'll make Sasuke-kun think more of me! Hair, huh? Fine, I don't need it!!!!!

Under everyone's shocked gazes, she grabbed her hair, her eyes turning fierce, and slashed the kunai across its roots!!!

Snip!

Her hair fell cleanly away, leaving her head gleaming!

Holding the kunai in her right hand and her hair in her left, she declared deliriously, "Hah, hahaha! An excellent kunoichi doesn't need something as cumbersome as hair!!"

But who had kept telling the class just a little while ago that hair was a woman's life?

Throwing away both the kunai and her hair, Sakura Haruno shouted, "I, Sakura Haruno, am done being a woman!!"

With that, she headed for the training ground's exit, her head bald!

As she passed, two boys clung to each other, trembling!

Holy crap, was that really necessary? That's terrifying!

A woman who can be that ruthless with herself is someone you should never mess with!

As she passed Sasuke, Sakura quickened her pace into a run!

But from the corner of her eye, she could see that Sasuke hadn't looked her way even once!

Sakura bit her lip hard. As she ran, tears spilled down her cheeks despite herself. Why did this have to happen to me, and right in front of my beloved Sasuke, too?!

Watching Sakura leave, Ino said sympathetically, "Sakura's probably going to be down for a while. But she's seriously brave. I don't think I could've gone that far!"

Choji ate his chips faster. "I don't get girls. It's just hair, right? It's not like it won't grow back. Shouldn't she be glad she's still alive?"

Shikamaru focused on something else entirely. "I keep feeling there's more to this than meets the eye. Mizuki-sensei's a Chunin. Even if he wasn't feeling well, he couldn't have made such a basic mistake, could he? Could he really have done it on purpose? But what would he gain from that? Forget it. What a drag. Nobody got hurt, so let's just call it an accident..."

"An accident? That was no accident!!!!!!!"

In the bathroom, Mizuki splashed water on his face. His reflection in the mirror looked vicious!

"It was the Nine-Tailed Fox! The Nine-Tailed Fox must've interfered!! That bastard Naruto, that demon fox, can use Demon Magic! That has to be it! Making a fool of me in front of everyone... I'll never let you get away with this! Just you wait!!!!"

Back on the training ground, Yu, the one responsible for it all, began concentrating on throwing shuriken!

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

He threw several in a row, and every one missed the target.

Most of the other kids gloated when they saw it.

Oh, weren't you pretty good with your fists and feet? Give you something that takes a little skill, and you can't handle it! Guess you're nothing special after all-just an upgraded dead last. No wonder you hang around with Naruto!

Actually, if Yu wanted to, he could use psychic power to guide his shuriken and hit the mark every time. But that would be boring, nothing more than fooling himself.

He did enjoy stirring things up, but he had no interest in deliberately showing off.

His harsh words and fighting in the classroom had been to stand up for Naruto.

He had interfered with Mizuki's shuriken using psychic power to embarrass him because, as a reader, he had witnessed Mizuki's despicable behavior.

Unexpectedly, however, Sasuke walked over. After observing Yu's movements, he said, "Hey, you over there. Don't put force into it with your arm. Focus on using your wrist and fingers instead, like this!"

As he spoke, Sasuke pulled a shuriken from his pocket and casually hit the bull's-eye!

Naruto protested indignantly, "Hey, quit showing off, you poser!"

Sasuke sneered. "Shut up, dead last!"

Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "What did you say?? You want a fight?!"

Sasuke chuckled. "Hmph. You needed the new kid to stand up for you against a few amateurs. Just keep your mouth shut!"

Naruto was so angry his eyes rolled back. He raised a fist. "Y-you... Stop looking down on me! I'm telling you, one day, I, Naruto Uzumaki, will become Hokage, believe it!!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Hmph. Before you become Hokage, try graduating from the Ninja Academy without getting held back!"

"I knew I'd never get along with you!" Naruto turned away angrily, bouncing on his feet!

After quietly listening to their bickering, Yu faced Sasuke and asked, "Why are you giving me pointers?"

With both hands in his pockets, Sasuke glanced at Yu. "Judging by how you beat those guys in the classroom, you've got a decent foundation in Taijutsu. You just haven't formally started training with shuriken or Ninjutsu yet, right?"

Yu said, "That's right."

Sasuke said, "Not many people our age have Taijutsu skills like that, so I'm a little interested in you. Just consider this a passing whim. But I'll tell you this: the Ninja Academy's graduation exam tests you on everything. If you're too weak in some areas, you'll have a hard time passing."

That wasn't quite true. If someone excelled enough in a particular area, the Ninja Academy would relax its graduation requirements, as it did for Rock Lee!

But Rock Lee hadn't graduated yet, so Sasuke probably hadn't seen that precedent.

Seven-year-old Sasuke sure had a strong sense of what it meant to be elite.

An enigmatic smile appeared on Yu's lips.

Sasuke frowned. "What's so funny?"

Yu said, "Hehe, want to make a bet?"

Sasuke said, "A bet?"

Yu said, "I'll go home and practice Shurikenjutsu for a while, and then we'll have a shuriken contest!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And what happens if you lose?"

Yu cradled the back of his head in his hands. "I haven't thought about what happens if I lose, because that's how losers think. How about this? No matter who wins or loses, we each have to do one thing for the other, no conditions!"

The corners of Sasuke's mouth rose. "Interesting. I accept your challenge. But I'll only give you a month!"

Yu smiled. "Hehe, no need, no need. Three days will be enough..."