Sasuke and Naruto Are Being Followed

"Ino, isn't this kind of wrong...?"

"Sakura, you say that, but you actually want to follow them and see what happens too, don't you~?"

Behind Sasuke and Naruto, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno followed stealthily. Plenty of girls in their class had crushes on Sasuke, but Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were the ones who took action.

"Well, sure... but... fine, we'll just watch for a little while!"

"That's more like it! Keep up, keep up! Don't let them spot us!"

Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno did their best to follow the two boys, keeping what they believed was a safe distance.

The Yamanaka Clan was one of Konoha's distinguished clans, and Sakura Haruno was a top student at the Ninja Academy. Although both girls were still young, once they put their minds to it, their tracking really did look somewhat like a ninja's work.

But... Sasuke's Sharingan was no mere decoration.

"I think someone's following us."

Sasuke murmured quietly. Hearing him, Naruto immediately tried to turn around, but Sasuke grabbed him and pulled him back.

Sasuke: "Idiot! Don't turn around. Let's pick up the pace and see if we can shake them."

Naruto: "You got it!"

Sasuke and Naruto whispered to each other. To keep the people behind them from noticing that they were exchanging words, they moved even closer together.

Seeing this, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno instinctively pressed their hands to their cheeks, their eyes going wide.

"Sasuke-kun and Naruto are... so close!"

"And it looks like Sasuke-kun was the one who moved closer!"

Although Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno weren't exactly boys' love fangirls, as girls, they both had at least a few thoughts along those lines.

If Sasuke really swings that way, wouldn't that mean I have no chance at all?!

The same thought appeared in both their minds, looming so large that, for a moment, they could think of nothing else.

While they stood there in a daze, Sasuke and Naruto had already picked up their pace. By the time the girls snapped out of it, the boys were so far away that they could barely make them out.

Oh no!

The girls hurried after them. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto not only quickened their steps, but also made full use of Konoha's winding streets.

Left, right, straight ahead, right, straight ahead...

Although Sasuke had come up with the plan, Naruto was the one directing them by the end.

Naruto: "Hehe! I've been to every corner of Konoha, big and small. I could climb Hokage Rock with my eyes closed and give the Hokage statues a glamorous makeover!"

Naruto had lost both his parents as a baby and lived alone, so loneliness was a constant in his life. To ease it, he often wandered around the village, even doing things that annoyed people just to draw their attention.

That was also why Naruto had said earlier that home was boring. He was the only person there.

"This way! Keep up!"

Naruto led Sasuke around Konoha. Although they weren't moving particularly fast, the two girls following them were gasping for breath, repeatedly insisting that they couldn't go on.

At the entrance to the Uchiha Residence.

Naruto and Sasuke had only a light sheen of sweat on their cheeks. Both possessed stamina far beyond that of other children their age.

"You're... surprisingly reliable."

"Hehe, of course! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!" Naruto grinned and rubbed a finger beneath his nose. That praise was just right for him.

While Naruto and Sasuke talked, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka actually managed to catch up. Some distance away, they leaned against a wall, gulping down air and looking ready to drop dead.

"Hah... hah... we... we caught up... somehow..."

"Do you think they noticed us? They went around in so many circles... maybe we should just leave?"

"Just one more look, one more look. We can't go back like this. You're thinking the same thing, aren't you?"

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka spoke in breathless fragments that only they could understand. Then they turned around and looked toward Sasuke and Naruto again. The boys were standing at the entrance, chatting.

"Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Not really... should we try a little harder?"

The two jostled each other as they peered in that direction, until a figure appeared on another road leading to the entrance of the Uchiha Residence.

When the girls got a full look at her, they froze.

Oh my gosh, she's gorgeous.

Long hair that shone like pearls, bright crimson eyes, and a figure that still looked a little youthful but already came remarkably close to ideal proportions. Most important of all was her face...

The first description that came to both girls' minds was "Yamato Nadeshiko," the image of the perfect woman.

"Oh my gosh! That beautiful girl is heading toward Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun looks so happy! They seem really close!"

"Danger! Danger! Danger! I'm not that scared when you're my only rival! But if a beauty like that becomes my rival, I... I don't see even the slightest chance of winning!"

The alarms in Sakura Haruno's and Ino Yamanaka's hearts rang wildly. This was a warning of extreme danger.

They didn't think they could possibly compete with this woman. The sheer feminine charm she radiated was on a completely different level!

Meanwhile, the woman Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka had deemed impossible to beat was chatting with Sasuke and Naruto.

"Sis! You went out?!"

"Yeah, I had a little errand to run. I thought I could pick you two up if I got back quickly enough, but things dragged on over there."

Chinatsu didn't forget to take a jab at Hiruzen Sarutobi. Before getting down to business, he had really spouted a whole pile of nonsense. They had spent forever probing each other.

Just as Chinatsu finished speaking, her eyes suddenly shifted slightly, glancing toward the place where Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were hiding.

The corners of Chinatsu's lips lifted slightly, an intrigued look appearing on her face.

"Looks like we'll have to double your counter-surveillance training, Sasuke. You didn't even notice the two little kittens following you~"

"What? They actually caught up?! Where?!" Sasuke looked shocked and turned his head, frantically scanning the surroundings. Meanwhile, Chinatsu used the Body Flicker Technique to appear directly beside the two girls, who had just turned to flee, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Little kittens, it's a bit too late to run now~"

Chinatsu smiled at them with what she believed was a kindly expression, but the girls felt as though they were facing a formidable enemy. Terrified, they both fell onto their bottoms.

"Sorry! We're sorry! We're really, really sorry!!!"