The Next Morning
Sakura walked alongside Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and Rock Lee, as they had grown accustomed to doing ever since Naruto's return.
Sakura and Naruto seemed closer than usual, and it was painfully obvious to the three boys walking behind them. For Kiba, Shino, and Lee—still single—it felt like walking through a living hell. The relationship between Naruto and Sakura was apparent to everyone… except the two of them.
"If you look back, you'll regret it, Shino…" Kiba muttered under his breath as he led the way, with Lee and Shino by his side. Naruto and Sakura trailed right behind, chatting happily about the basketball club.
"As if I would, you bastard…" Shino's tone was dark, so much so that even his black sunglasses seemed swallowed by the shadow beneath his hood.
Rock Lee wasn't faring much better. Carrying his bag on one arm, the other shoved lazily into his pocket, he was a picture of brooding silence. Compared to the pink haze that seemed to surround Naruto and Sakura, the three of them looked as though they were made from pure darkness.
Fortunately, that suffocating atmosphere didn't last long. All five soon noticed Sasuke and Ino walking together, hands interlaced, a strange, unsettling, yet oddly thrilling air hanging around them.
The boys couldn't make sense of it, but Sakura instantly picked up on the change in her friend—particularly the way Ino's gait was slightly uneven, as if she were struggling to walk normally. Sakura frowned faintly. (Could it be that they…?)
She shook the thought away. No, it was impossible. Ino would never do something like that. She was sure of it. And yet, could she be wrong in the end?
Kiba seized the chance to break the awkward silence. "Don't you guys think there's something… different about those two?"
Lee scratched his chin, thoughtful. "I don't see anything strange. Is there really?"
Naruto's eyes, however, had sharpened. His gaze was fixed on Sasuke and Ino's interaction, unreadable.
Each of them carried their own unspoken thoughts, but none voiced them aloud. In the end, they walked in silence until they reached the school gates, where Naruto and Sakura parted ways.
---
Since club activities usually took place after classes, students headed straight to their classrooms in the morning. The hallways remained empty, for anyone loitering risked being marked absent if the teacher arrived before them.
For that reason, Naruto strolled the corridors in relative peace. Karin had asked him to pick up additional training exercises, so he was on his way to the clubroom to collect a personalized schedule.
The reason it wasn't simply sent to him over text was simple: Karin refused to add Naruto to her contacts, not wanting him to mistakenly believe she cared about him. In her mind, his previous attempts to meet her over the past two days were nothing more than a misguided love confession—rather than his genuine desire to join the basketball club—which she had shot down coldly. No matter how hard Naruto tried to explain, Karin never truly believed him.
"It's just a messaging app to stay in touch. It has nothing to do with feelings," Naruto muttered, blinking back exaggerated tears. It wasn't heartbreak that stung, but rather the ridiculous harshness of Karin's refusal over something so trivial.
Turning the corner at the end of the hall, Naruto suddenly froze. Neji and Tenten walked hand in hand just a few paces ahead. His expression twisted into faint irritation.
Kiba hadn't explained everything to him—he barely understood it himself—but Naruto had a rough idea of the tangled mess between Neji, Tenten, and Hinata.
Naruto had once thought Neji and Hinata were officially together. Yet behind her back, Neji carried on a secret romance with Tenten. Naruto himself had witnessed them kissing passionately, only stopping when Hinata nearly caught them. Though Hinata had eventually discovered the truth, she never confronted them. Whether she couldn't, or simply wouldn't, Naruto could never understand.
(Neji's nothing more than a shameless womanizer… and damn lucky at that…)
In his previous life, Neji's sacrifice during the Fourth Shinobi War had left Naruto with a deep respect for him. But the Neji of this world? He was nothing more than a spoiled young master ripped straight out of a cliché romance novel.
Naruto slowed his pace. He had decided long ago never to involve himself in Neji and Tenten's affairs. What happened with Kiba had been an exception, nothing more.
Neji and Tenten noticed him behind them, casting a brief glance before turning away indifferently. To them, he was nothing but the school's second most handsome boy. Naruto, in turn, barely spared them a thought as he walked on.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hinata. She was watching them from a hidden corner, her gaze silently fixed upon the pair.
(Why do you only watch? Shouldn't you do something?) Naruto thought grimly as he walked away. For the first time in his new life, he felt a pang of regret—for doing nothing when perhaps he should have acted.
But that, too, was a story for another time.
---
Meanwhile, Naruto made his way toward the basketball clubroom. Back in the classroom, everyone had already gathered—everyone except Karin, who was still waiting for Naruto.
Ino sat beside Sakura, her radiant smile practically glowing. So radiant, in fact, that Sakura had to squint. "You're shining way too much. Can you please stop smiling like an idiot already?"
"Oh, my dear… you could never understand this feeling without experiencing it yourself." Ino pressed her hands against her cheeks, eyes closed in utter bliss.
"Tch…" Sakura muttered.
She smirked, tapping her chin slyly. "But tell me, what's with that silly grin of yours? Don't tell me you and Sasuke already crossed that line? You naughty little pervert!"
Ino, who had been confidently leading the conversation, suddenly flushed crimson. She snapped her head aside. "W-What?! Who said anything like that? And what business is it of yours what I do with Sasuke?!"
Sakura leaned closer, her smirk widening. "So it's true, huh? Weren't you the one always insisting you'd wait until marriage? What happened to that?"
"Shut up! Sasuke is my destined husband anyway!"
"Heeh… is that so? I wonder…"
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
Ino spun away, eyes squeezed shut, but Sakura hounded her relentlessly until Ino finally broke and confessed everything—leaving Sakura utterly speechless.
---
Elsewhere in the city, the once-bustling clinic where Naruto had been receiving treatment stood empty. Even Tsunade, who had resided there for a time, had left—luckily, without delay.
For two figures had just stormed in, clad in black suits with crimson cloud emblems on their collars. Akatsuki.
One had blond hair and brown eyes, resembling a businessman of the Namikaze clan. The other bore lifeless red hair and dull, heavy-lidded eyes—a walking corpse of the Uzumaki bloodline.
Yahiko and Nagato.
"Looks like whoever lived here is already gone," Yahiko muttered as he pushed open the clinic doors. The rooms were all barren, stripped clean of the advanced equipment that had once filled them.
Nagato gave a curt nod. "Though His Excellency never knew this person's identity, I'm impressed he discovered the hideout so quickly…"
"His foresight is unmatched. Genius like his is terrifying… Sometimes I think Deidara tricked us the day he invited us to join…" Yahiko frowned.
Nagato's cold tone cut through the air. "You're still talking about disbanding? After seeing their monstrous power firsthand, you think we stand a chance? Even Kakuzu admits His Excellency is stronger than him. Can you imagine that? Kakuzu, undefeated and flawless in every mission, says he is not the strongest. His Excellency is."
"You'll regret this loyalty someday, Nagato. Mark my words," Yahiko muttered darkly.
"No. You're the one who should reconsider before His Excellency learns of your foolish schemes and erases you," Nagato shot back, eyes scanning the empty rooms.
Finding nothing, he exhaled coldly. "Pointless. Whoever was here covered their tracks perfectly. Let's destroy this place."
"…Fine." Yahiko's voice was quiet.
They erased all evidence of their presence, then demolished the clinic in a blaze that looked, to any outsider, like nothing more than a tragic accident.
---
By lunchtime at Konoha High, Karin had already dragged Naruto off for "extra club training," leaving the others to discuss something of grave importance.
"As you all know," Sakura began, her hands clasped earnestly before her, "Naruto's seventeenth birthday is less than a week away."
The others nodded solemnly, even Sasuke, his expression unusually serious.
Shino spoke evenly. "We've already arranged the public cover. It will appear to be his official ceremony to become leader of the Breakers. But in truth, we'll surprise him with two celebrations: his coronation the day after, and a secret birthday party before that."
Kiba grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. "Brilliant. That way, Naruto won't suspect a thing. Karin will keep him busy with those 'extra practices,' and the coronation preparations will blind him to the birthday. As long as we all act clueless, it'll work."
They all agreed, then turned to Shikamaru for his input. Lee asked bluntly, "What do you think, Shikamaru?"
"My opinion? This is nothing but a pain in the ass."
Shikamaru sighed dramatically under the glares of his friends, quickly amending, "Fine, fine. For it to work, Naruto has to completely forget about his birthday. No one should mention it. As far as he knows, only his family might celebrate—and honestly, I'm not sure they even do. Either they can't, or they won't. He hides too much about them. So if we keep him in the dark, the surprise will succeed. But don't expect me to do any heavy lifting. Leave me out of it."
"Shut up, idiot," Kiba snapped. "We're all Naruto's friends. No one gets a free pass. Even Karin's doing her part—acting cold and harsh to throw him off, pretending he's just some lovestruck fool getting shot down over and over. It's all for the plan."
Chōji chewed thoughtfully. "Oh… so that explains why she's been acting so weird. Though… was that really out of character for her?"
"Well… maybe not," Lee admitted.
The group fell silent, realizing Karin's odd behavior wasn't exactly new.
"Hey, my sister's not that bad," Sasuke interjected suddenly.
Everyone turned to him in shock. "Wait—your sister?!"
Sasuke gave a simple nod. "Didn't I tell you? Karin's an Uzumaki. She's my half-sister. My father took her in after her mother died during childbirth."
The revelation left everyone stunned. Kiba shouted, "WHAT?!"
"Keep your voice down…" Sasuke muttered, strangely unguarded.
Sakura and Shikamaru alone noticed it—how Sasuke's usual icy demeanor softened when Karin was involved, or perhaps… when it came to Naruto.
(So that's it. His aloofness—it's either because of Karin, or Naruto. Maybe both. Is he worried she might actually care about Naruto?) Shikamaru mused, though outwardly he remained as lazy and indifferent as ever.
Their plotting was cut short when Kakashi entered the classroom, openly reading Make-Out Paradise, Volume 3 beneath the cover of a history book.
"That's enough. Class is starting. Back to your seats."
Moments later, Naruto and Karin slipped in, narrowly avoiding being marked absent thanks to Kakashi's uncharacteristic mercy.
---
To Be Continued…