Hey! I Can Assist, but I Can't Play for You...

The Training Ground was covered in bald Sakuras. Luckily, it was broad daylight. At night, they probably could have done without the streetlights!

Jokes aside, we still had to give a proper explanation for how this had happened!

The root of all evil was, of course, Yu. If he hadn't shown up, Sakura wouldn't have lost her lovely hair!

But setting that underlying cause aside, let's focus on the matter at hand!

It had started with a conversation between a few older kids after yesterday's shuriken contest ended and everyone dispersed!

"Ever since Neji's little brother came, school's been so lively!"

"Yeah! That Fire Release nearly knocked me into next week!"

"Hey, hey, remember what he looked like when he used the Transformation Technique earlier?"

"Uh, vaguely. A bald girl, right? I remember he kept looking like that bald girl when he used the Substitution Technique and Clone Technique afterward... didn't he?"

"That's not the point. Don't you think there was something weirdly hilarious about that bald girl?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah! I was so busy being amazed by Neji's brother's skills that I completely missed it!"

"Hey, I've got an idea. Let's turn into that bald girl too, then go about our business like nothing's wrong!"

"What?! That sounds so fun!"

"Count me in!"

They hit it off immediately, transformed into bald Sakuras, and paraded around. At first, they barely caused a stir. Finding it no fun, they went home, slept, and forgot all about it.

That should have been the end of it-just a prank by a few goofy little troublemakers.

But stupidity was contagious.

"Those people we saw during the day were so funny!"

"A huge forehead and a bald head are a match made in heaven!"

"It'd feel awesome to look like that and pee standing up!"

After the idea simmered overnight, the kids who finally got the joke scrambled to copy it. One told ten, ten told a hundred, and the result was the spectacular sight now filling the Training Ground!

At the school gate.

Sakura's resentment soared so high that it practically turned her surroundings into a hell of seething bitterness!

"Holy crap!" Yu hadn't seen anything like this since he started using Earth Grudge Fear. Even he felt intimidated, and he hurried to distance himself from it. "Just so we're clear, this really has nothing to do with me!"

For once, Sakura was reasonable. "I know. You always do it to my face. You wouldn't pull something like this behind my back. If it makes them happy, let them do it!!!"

With that, Sakura picked up her schoolbag, took a little red hat out of it, and put it on. Head lowered, she raced across the Training Ground like the wind!

Watching her retreating figure, Yu murmured, "I know you're burying your head in the sand to protect yourself, but when someone wearing a hat suddenly appears in a field full of bald heads, isn't that going to look strange...?"

Sure enough, Sakura was recognized!

The kids turned to look!

"Look, it's that bald girl! There's no mistaking that hat!!"

"It's the original! Everyone, look~~~!"

"Original, we're your clones! Come play with us!!"

"Oooooh...!!"

Amid the jeers from kids eager to stir up more trouble, tears glimmered beneath Sakura's hat!

She hadn't done anything, yet she was being singled out for no reason!

Although most of it was just fooling around, she still felt a chill run down her back!

At that moment, Sakura... finally understood Naruto's situation a little.

Had Naruto been living in this kind of atmosphere all along? How could he still smile?

"Because once you've cried all your tears dry, smiling's all you've got left..."

"Who's there? Who's talking to me????"

Yu thought, Ah, crap! I accidentally answered her thoughts with a wisecrack!

He immediately cut off Amenosagume!

Thud!

Startled while running at full speed, Sakura failed to notice a frozen puddle and fell. Her hat came off too, exposing her bare bald head to the biting wind...

It was practically a public execution!

Sprawled on the ground, Sakura sank into utter despair. I wanna die...

Tap!

A steady footstep stopped in front of her!

Who was it... so close?

When Cinderella was at her lowest, Prince Charming appeared and came to her rescue... it was a clichéd romance scene every girl had dreamed of!

Could it be... Sasuke-kun? No, don't. Just leave me here to fend for myself!

Even so, Sakura couldn't help getting her hopes up, and her heartbeat quickened!

A concerned voice spoke. "Hey, are you all right?"

Sakura raised her head and saw thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a bowl-cut head!

She knew him. His name was Rock Lee, he was a year above her, and he was the school's famous hot-blooded dead last!

Splash...!

It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over her. Sakura's hopes shattered!

"I'm fine, thank you..."

Sakura got up and walked past him coldly, not even giving Rock Lee a chance to trigger a romantic event!

Trying to get my attention while I'm down? What a joke. The way these boys think is downright nauseating. Even without my hair, I'm not some girl just anyone can pursue!!

Watching her run toward the classroom building, Rock Lee shouted passionately, "Don't worry about how those people look at you! Silence them with the sweat of hot-blooded youth! I'll wait for you on the hill behind school after class today... boy I've never met before!!!"

Crack...!

"Urgh...!!!"

The damage was devastating. In an instant, Sakura turned to stone where she stood. Her heart shattered into eight pieces, and she collapsed with her eyes rolled back. A little glowing orb resembling a soul floated out of her mouth... even her soul was bald. It looked like there was no saving her!

Naruto hadn't come to class that day.

During last night's incident with Mizuki, Iruka had taken him home. By now, he probably knew that the nine-tails chakra inside him had run wild, right?

So he'd shut himself away?

Yu thought, I'll give him some time to think it over. He has to decide for himself what path he'll take from now on. As his friend, I can assist, but I can't play for him...

"U-um, Yu-kun..."

Hinata came over, shy but concerned. "Wh-why isn't N-Naruto-kun here...?"

Yu said, "He's sick."

Hinata grew anxious. "Huh?? Naruto-kun's sick?? Is it serious? Has he gone to the hospital??"

Yu said, "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. He'll be fine after some rest."

Only then did Hinata breathe a sigh of relief.

Yu suggested, "Let's go see him together after school..."

"Okay..." Hinata agreed, blushing.

Back at her seat, Hinata placed her hands inside her desk. She decided to save the lunchbox she had planned to open at noon for that evening!

Iruka arrived on time. Glancing at Naruto's empty seat, his expression grew slightly grave.

"Due to special circumstances, Mizuki has been relieved of his teaching duties. Starting today, shuriken lessons will be taught by..."

Iruka paused and looked at Yu.

"Yū Hyuga... you can take over!"

Yu: "???"