Asuma's fury! Shinichi: I'm playing favorites!

Under Shinichi's ironclad orders, Kakashi managed to fulfill his mission and successfully asked Kurenai out.

Of course, Kurenai initially turned down such a last-minute invitation. She had a mission of her own to go on, after all.

But Kakashi pleaded with her over and over, even looking as though he might get on his knees and beg, so she had no choice but to cancel her mission and meet him.

To be fair, when Kurenai saw how desperately Kakashi wanted to ask her out, she was genuinely delighted. They had spent plenty of time together lately, but she had usually been the one to initiate things. Kakashi hadn't refused her, but he hadn't seemed particularly excited, either.

This time was completely different. Kakashi was actually this eager. Could he really have fallen for her?

Kurenai's delicate face flushed slightly as the thought crossed her mind.

How could she possibly have guessed the terrifying pressure that had forced Kakashi to beg her for a date...

Borrow nine, repay thirteen!

And if he missed the deadline, it doubled!

With that much interest, even a lifetime's worth of spending money would barely cover it!

"Damn it... Kakashi, you idiot, hurry up and hold her hand!"

Shinichi, who had been secretly following them, was beside himself with impatience and kept muttering under his breath.

Beside him, the adorably airheaded Nami, whom he had dragged along to watch, was equally speechless. She couldn't help commenting, "Shinichi, it's their date. Why are you so anxious?"

"What would a kid like you know?"

Shinichi snapped, "There are only so many of us left in the Hatake Clan. We'll have to rely on that brat to carry on the family line!"

"But I'm not little anymore!"

Nami looked down at her ample chest and protested indignantly, "Besides, aren't you part of the Hatake Clan too? Why does it have to be your little brother? You could fall in love and have children yourself..."

"Huh? You mean me?"

Shinichi froze.

Well, well, you've stumbled onto the key point!

"That's right! If it's just about having children for the Hatake Clan, you could do it too. You've always considered yourself one of them, anyway."

Nami tilted her head, her expression utterly innocent.

The cute girl's lethal head tilt!

There was no denying it-the damage was devastating!

But the most devastating thing was Nami's offhand remark, which left Shinichi completely at a loss.

That... actually makes sense!

"But who am I supposed to have children with? I can't exactly have them by myself, can I?"

Still unwilling to concede, Shinichi asked.

"You silly man! With a girl who likes you, of course!"

Once again, the adorably airheaded girl had looked down on him.

Feeling deeply wounded, Shinichi said helplessly, "But no girls like me..."

"That's not true!"

Seeing that Shinichi really was discouraged, the kindhearted Nami couldn't help comforting him. "Think about it, Shinichi. You're so handsome, you're strong, and you're Konoha's Hero. There must be loads of girls who like you!"

At that point, something seemed to occur to Nami. Her cheeks flushed, and her voice grew too quiet to hear. "Actually, I could do it too..."

"What did you just say?"

Unable to make out her words, Shinichi asked curiously.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!"

Nami immediately covered her mouth and said loudly, "I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to be so fixated on forcing your little brother to get married. Instead of worrying about other people, you should find a way to seize your own happiness first!"

Those words struck like a thunderclap.

Shinichi stood stunned.

He never would have dreamed that an airhead would be the one to teach him a lesson.

Then again, ever since he had crossed over into the world of Naruto, he had always felt a lingering sense of unreality. After all, this was a world from an anime, and the people around him were anime characters. Deep down, he had always regarded himself as an observer.

But what was the reality?

After spending all this time with them, he increasingly felt that this was a real world. The people around him were living, breathing human beings with emotions, and he was really no different from them.

"Thank you, Nami."

The knot in Shinichi's heart finally unraveled, and a truly genuine smile appeared on his face.

Perhaps this was the moment he finally became a real part of this world!

"Maybe..."

Suddenly, Shinichi looked toward Kakashi in the distance with gentle eyes and said softly, "Getting to see their happiness with my own eyes is my greatest happiness."

Whether it was Kakashi, Naruto, or Karin, he had long since come to regard them as his real family.

"You're such a gentle person, Shinichi."

Touched, Nami spoke from the heart, her beautiful eyes reddening slightly. "Actually, you could pay a little more attention to the people around you too..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was no louder than a mosquito's buzz.

So Shinichi didn't hear her at all.

Besides, something had suddenly happened with Kakashi and Kurenai nearby, and it had already drawn his attention.

"Kurenai, are you really with Kakashi..."

A young man who looked unusually old for his age, almost like a scruffy middle-aged man, appeared in front of Kurenai without warning. Disbelief covered his face as he demanded an answer.

Indeed, he was the Third Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi.

Kurenai's husband in the original story, the unlucky fellow who died young at Hidan's hands.

"I didn't believe it at first, but today I finally saw it with my own eyes!"

Flames of anger burned in Asuma's eyes as he stared fixedly at Kakashi and Kurenai, looking every bit like a pitiful victim of betrayal. "Kakashi, I actually considered you my friend, and you've been secretly dating Kurenai behind my back! What kind of friend are you?"

"Asuma, I'm sorry..."

Kakashi's gaze was conflicted, and he sighed inwardly.

This day had finally come.

Ever since Shinichi had insisted that he date Kurenai, he had known this day would come. He just hadn't expected it so soon.

In truth, he had only intended to humor Shinichi a little at the time. Even he hadn't anticipated what happened afterward.

Kurenai had reached out to him again and again, and he couldn't turn her down. In the end, their relationship had developed rather naturally, and he had even begun to realize that deep down, he no longer seemed opposed to the idea.

Feelings really were difficult to predict through logic.

"Shut up! Kakashi, you despicable bastard!"

Asuma's rage nearly reached its breaking point as he shouted, "Kurenai, why did you betray me? We grew up together! We were childhood sweethearts! Why did you betray my feelings for you? Don't you know how I've treated you? You fickle woman!"

The Asuma standing there was nothing like the mature, steady man from the original story.

Right now, he was merely a spoiled young layabout who spent his days doing nothing. He was also deeply rebellious and loved defying his father, the Third Hokage. How could Kurenai possibly accept the love of a rebellious youth who roamed the streets instead of doing anything worthwhile?

Kakashi, on the other hand, wasn't just handsome. He was powerful, and he had already become an ANBU captain at such a young age. Compared to him, Asuma was hopelessly outclassed. They were worlds apart!

Most importantly, Kakashi and Kurenai had always let things develop naturally, allowing their relationship to fall into place. It wasn't like Asuma's blatant declarations of love, which only made a girl uncomfortable and afraid, achieving the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Asuma's failure was inevitable.

Unless he immediately grew into the mature man from the original story, he had no chance of catching Kurenai's eye.

"Asuma, what are you talking about?"

Kurenai frowned slightly and said sharply, "I'm not dating Kakashi. Why are you talking about him like that? And even if I were dating him, I don't think I'd owe you an explanation!"

At this point in time, Kurenai had never accepted Asuma's feelings, so naturally, she owed him no explanation.

There was even less reason to call it betrayal!

"Even a blind man could see that you're dating! I've caught you red-handed, and you still have the nerve to deny it? Kurenai, I misjudged you all these years. I never knew you were that kind of woman!"

Asuma spoke coldly.

Smack!

His insults grew uglier and uglier. Unable to listen any longer, Kurenai gave him a resounding slap.

"Asuma, if you have a problem, take it out on me. There's no need to drag Kurenai into something between us. This has nothing to do with her, and you can't talk about her like that."

Kakashi stepped forward and said calmly, "Kurenai isn't that kind of person. As your friend, I hope you'll apologize to her."

As a friend, Kakashi might truly have felt guilty, but he wasn't so spineless that he would let Asuma hurl such vile insults at a girl.

This had nothing to do with their romantic entanglement. It was about taking responsibility as a man.

"That Asuma guy is awful!"

Watching from hiding, Nami couldn't help muttering, "Even an outsider like me can tell that she never agreed to date him. He's just imagining things, and he's accusing her of betraying him! If I were her, I'd definitely choose Shinichi's little brother too!"

Girls' thoughts were often remarkably alike, which showed just how repulsive Asuma's behavior was at that moment.

"Huh? Where did Shinichi go?"

Nami had wanted to keep complaining, only to suddenly realize that Shinichi had vanished from her side.

"Kakashi, you two really are made for each other!"

Already deeply humiliated, Asuma lost the last shred of his reason after Kurenai slapped him in front of everyone. He spat venomously, "One's a despicable liar, and the other's a two-faced, fickle woman. I curse you both to never have a happy ending..."

Such an extreme reaction was hardly surprising. How could a rebellious youth from a privileged family, spoiled since childhood, keep a clear head after suffering such a blow?

Consumed by rage, he could spit out any insult, no matter how vile!

"Asuma, you've really disappointed me!"

Kurenai's expression was no longer angry. Instead, it became utterly cold. "We're no longer friends."

Anger was often not the worst thing.

Coldness and distance were the true signs that someone had given up completely.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if Asuma eventually became the man he was in the original story, he and Kurenai would no longer have the slightest chance.

"Who cares?"

Asuma shot back coldly.

Then his hateful, venomous gaze fixed on Kakashi once again. "Kakashi, you despicable bastard! I, Asuma Sarutobi, won't let you get away with this! Do you dare face me in a duel between men? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

"If you're willing to apologize to Kurenai, I have no objection."

Kakashi felt heavyhearted, but he still nodded.

He knew Asuma needed to vent his anger immediately, or there would be serious trouble.

"All right, that's enough!"

Just as Asuma was about to charge forward and duel Kakashi, a figure suddenly appeared like a ghost and stepped between them.

"Shinichi!"

"Big brother?"

Kakashi's expression turned strange.

Had his brother been secretly following him and Kurenai all along?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Knowing Shinichi, that was absolutely something he would do!

"Get out of my way!"

Blinded by rage, Asuma had no intention of listening to Shinichi. Besides, he knew him and instinctively assumed that Shinichi had come specifically to protect his little brother, Kakashi.

If Shinichi had known what he was thinking, he might have given him a thumbs-up in praise.

You poor brat. You guessed exactly right!

Click, click!

With a pair of crisp clicks, cuffs locked around Asuma's hands before he could form hand seals.

With his meager abilities, how could Asuma possibly be a match for Shinichi?

Never mind his current rebellious teenage self-even at his peak in the original story, he might not have been able to put up much of a fight against Shinichi.

"Asuma Sarutobi, you've maliciously started a fight and injured someone. I'm placing you under arrest in the name of the Konoha Military Police Force!"

Shinichi smiled as he spoke.

"Bullshit! I didn't even hit him! Who did I injure?"

Naturally, Asuma refused to accept this and protested loudly, "And you're not even wearing the police uniform! That means you have no authority to enforce the law right now, let alone arrest me!"

"A uniform?"

Shinichi thought for a moment, then chuckled. "You're right. I do need a uniform to arrest you. That's perfectly reasonable! Nami, come here!"

Hearing his call, the adorably clueless Nami jogged over.

"See? She's wearing a uniform, she's a bona fide member of the Konoha Military Police Force, and she witnessed you fighting and injuring someone. Arresting you is entirely justified!"

Shinichi explained.

"I won't accept this! You're deliberately taking Kakashi's side!"

Asuma shouted, "He's the one in the wrong, so what's wrong with me hitting him? You're obviously siding with him because he's your little brother, when I'm the one who's been hurt! Don't think I don't know the Konoha Military Police Force's rules. When family members are involved, you can't just enforce the law however you like, because there's a conflict of interest. You're abusing your authority!"

"Oh! You're actually smarter than I expected!"

Shinichi sounded surprised.

Asuma's argument really did strike at the heart of the matter, with both logic and evidence to back it up!

Unfortunately, was Hatake Shinichi the sort of person who liked reasoning with others?

Of course not!

"That's right. I'm abusing my authority and deliberately protecting Kakashi!"

Under the utterly bizarre looks Kakashi and the other two gave him, Shinichi said with a smile, "I'm very protective of my own, so consider yourself unlucky for running into me! Asuma Sarutobi, you're in trouble now. Even if your father, the Third Hokage, comes here in person today, I'm still arresting you!"

No more pretending. I'm laying my cards on the table!

I'm playing favorites. If you don't like it, bite me!