Sakura Haruno lay on the bed, gazing through the bedside window at the bright moon in the night sky.
Silver moonlight spilled across Sakura's face, and she seemed lost in thought.
This world originally had no moon. The one in the sky was merely the Six Paths Sage's Planetary Devastation.
If it truly was the Six Paths Sage's creation, was this world's moon the same size as the one from her previous life's world?
If they were indeed the same size, just how powerful was a Six Paths-level being?
Or perhaps, in the original story, Six Paths-level battles were already restrained to the fullest extent possible.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Sakura suddenly spoke up.
"Heh heh, it's the first time someone's stayed over at my place. I'm kinda excited," Naruto's voice came from beside the bed.
In the end, Sakura had come to Naruto's place to crash for the night. However, Naruto's home had only one bedroom, and the living room didn't even have a sofa. So, after giving the bed to Sakura, Naruto had dutifully set up a sleeping mat on the floor.
Hearing Naruto's words, Sakura's eyes flickered slightly. She said, "When you came back last time, did you see Hinata?"
Naruto was puzzled by Sakura's question.
Hinata?
What did she have to do with him?
"Wasn't Hinata on the battlefield with you?" Naruto, wearing a sleep cap, propped himself up on the edge of the bed and looked at Sakura with confusion.
"Hinata doesn't go to the battlefield," Sakura replied, glancing at Naruto's clueless expression with a hint of exasperation.
She really couldn't tell if this guy was just emotionally dense or what. A beautiful, wealthy girl like Hinata had been secretly in love with him for years, and he was still completely oblivious, like an idiot.
In the end, it was only when the original Sakura used the gentlest tone to say the most resolute words that Naruto finally gave up on her and noticed Hinata, who had been quietly supporting him from the shadows.
Was she being too nice to this guy?
Or maybe last time, she hadn't been firm enough?
Sakura looked at the blond idiot grinning foolishly at her from the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
"What're you staring at?" Her emerald eyes flicked toward Naruto.
"Just looking at ya, what's it to you?" Naruto, whether out of a brain lapse or something else, replied almost reflexively.
"Wanna try staring again?" Sakura's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Try it and I'll—!"
…
The Next Day
As the sky brightened, Naruto finally stirred awake, groggy.
Ugh…
His head felt heavy…
Naruto shook his foggy head and sat up from his sleeping mat. Then, as if remembering something, he immediately glanced at the bed beside him.
But there was only a neatly folded quilt.
Sakura was already gone…
A pang of disappointment settled in Naruto's chest.
"You awake?" Just as Naruto was feeling a bit melancholic, a familiar voice sounded from the doorway.
Naruto followed the sound and saw that familiar flash of pink, his spirits lifting instantly.
There, leaning against the doorframe with an annoyed expression, was the pink-haired girl, fully dressed.
Huh?
Why was Sakura looking at him like that?
"I'm heading out. I boiled two eggs in the kitchen—make sure you eat them later," Sakura said. "Bye."
Without intending to linger with Naruto, Sakura turned to leave.
If getting Naruto to give up on her was proving difficult, then she'd take a different approach.
She'd make Naruto turn around and see Hinata.
With Hinata's qualities, she was sure to win Naruto over.
After all, from the moment Hinata fell for Naruto at first sight, it had been—what, seven or eight years?
That much time was more than enough to move Naruto.
"Sakura, let me walk you out!" Seeing her about to leave, Naruto hurriedly scrambled up from his mat.
"Oh, and since everyone's in the village right now, how about we plan a get-together for dinner sometime?" Sakura didn't refuse Naruto's offer to see her off and instead casually brought up the idea.
"Awesome!" Naruto, always one for lively gatherings, agreed without a second thought when he heard Sakura's suggestion.
"Where should we have it?" Naruto asked curiously as he walked Sakura to the door.
Sakura was the most outstanding among their peers, and almost instinctively, everyone looked to her as the leader—even Naruto was no exception.
"How about Sasuke's place? His house is big enough to fit everyone," Sakura said nonchalantly. "Plus, Sasuke didn't show up to the last gathering. This time, we'll go straight to his place so he can't escape."
Though she spoke casually, Sakura was already planning to secretly round up Shikamaru, Ino, Tenten, Shino, and Sasuke—the more reliable ones—to create opportunities for Naruto and Hinata to spend time together.
Well…
Shino and Sasuke might not be the best at this kind of thing, but with their sharp minds, they'd surely handle it with ease!
As for Lee, Kiba, and Choji…
Sakura didn't even have the slightest interest in telling them about this.
Neji was reliable too, but she'd better keep him out of this.
Alright!
This plan would be called… Plan A!
The shorter the name, the more it showcased the plan's precision and perfection!
Completely unaware that Sakura was already scheming to pair him with Hinata, Naruto grinned and said goodbye to her.
"Stop following me. You're in pajamas—you'll catch a cold," Sakura called without looking back, waving a hand to shoo Naruto back inside.
Her top priority now was to track down Shikamaru, Ino, Tenten, Shino, and Sasuke for a quick strategy meeting!
"Heh heh!" Naruto scratched his head, chuckling foolishly as he watched the pink-haired figure walk away.
In a shadowy alley near Naruto's house, Sasuke watched Sakura leave Naruto's place early in the morning. His scarlet Sharingan flared unconsciously, three tomoe spinning rapidly in his eyes before morphing into several lines that converged into a pattern of seven diamond-shaped petals.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
Seeing Sakura, who had clearly spent the night at Naruto's, Sasuke's face darkened, his expression so grim it seemed it could drip with water.
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