At his apartment, Naruto was lost in thought.
He wondered if what he had done to Sakura was too much…
Honestly, after thinking it over, Sakura would eventually fall into his arms anyway, since a bastard like Sasuke wouldn't even look at her until his ambitions were fulfilled.
Was he doing the right thing? Or was he just being greedy, wanting someone too quickly?
And besides… Sakura. She was only 12 years old, wasn't she?
"What should I do? I kissed a little girl… is that okay?" Naruto muttered and thought out loud.
He felt a bit weird. With two lifetimes, he could be considered to be in his thirties.
But in the end, Naruto gave up thinking and chose to sleep. Remember, sleep was a small but crucial step for growth…
He didn't want to be short for too long. Even now, Naruto still felt short compared to the others.
The next day.
Naruto woke up and immediately cooked a fried egg and ate it.
As usual, he didn't shower and went straight out.
But then, he heard a knock on the door.
"Sakura?" Naruto guessed.
He opened the door, and he was right. It was Sakura, wearing a plain white shirt and thick training pants.
But what caught Naruto's attention was her hair. She had styled it into a ponytail, revealing her neck.
"You look beautiful," Naruto praised sincerely.
Hearing his gaze, Sakura just nodded. "Of course..." she replied flatly.
Her face looked expressionless.
Naruto smiled. "So, can I kiss you?" he joked.
Immediately, Sakura kicked him.
"Ouch, that was mean..." Naruto groaned after the blow.
"Alright, let's go," Naruto said.
He grabbed Sakura's hand, which she instantly pulled away.
"Don't touch me, you're disgusting..." Even though her face was flat, her words were sharp as usual.
Naruto sighed. "Yeah, yeah, fine..."
They walked together down the quiet road, the cold wind refreshing…
Without a word exchanged, they passed through the streets and eventually reached the western forest.
"Ahhh, you guys just got here too?" Naruto stepped forward. He saw Guy and Tenten about to enter.
Guy turned and his eyes sparkled. "Yoo, Naruto-kun..." he greeted with a raised hand.
"Yo," Naruto responded with a light fist bump.
"So, where's Lee?" he asked upon noticing his absence. Behind Guy, only Tenten was visible—and she looked gloomy… wait, gloomy? What was going on with her?
Naruto focused his attention on Tenten…
"Ah, he's being punished. Yesterday, because of him, we almost failed a mission… haha. Still, as a passionate youth, I understand him," Guy explained enthusiastically.
He began to explain the mission from the beginning, which Naruto naturally ignored…
Naruto moved closer to Tenten. "Yo," he greeted.
Tenten glanced at him and simply nodded. "Yeah..." she replied briefly.
She turned her gaze away again, looking dispirited.
"Heh, what's wrong? Got something bothering you?" Naruto's tone was concerned. He felt something was off with her.
But Tenten only shook her head.
"Guy-sensei, let's just head inside," Tenten called out, or rather dragged him in.
Seeing her trying to avoid him, Naruto was confused. A crease formed on his brow…
"What's this… did something happen to her?" Naruto mumbled.
And Sakura, who heard him from behind, scoffed.
"You bastard, you can't even understand something like that and yet talk about love with me..." she said coldly as she walked past him.
"Something like that…" Naruto paused… thinking for a moment, then finally understood.
"Tenten, did you… already…?"
...
Inside, Lee was doing push-ups. On his back was a large rock weighing about 30 kg.
"Oi, Lee," Naruto approached.
Hearing his voice, Lee turned, but his focus shifted… he saw someone standing beside Naruto.
Pink hair tied in a ponytail, an oval face with a sharp jawline, making her look slender. She was beautiful, with captivating eyes. And her lips… very charming…
Lee was stunned.
This was the first time in his life he felt something strange in his chest.
"Is this… what they call youth?" Lee wondered.
With that, he immediately threw off the rock on his back and was about to speak to Sakura.
But Naruto blocked him.
"Lee, don't scare my friend," Naruto said firmly.
"Huh?" Lee was confused by Naruto's words. "What do you mean..." he seemed displeased.
And Naruto carefully whispered, "Later, when we go fishing, I'll tell you..."
Lee nodded quickly.
"Alright, Lee… your punishment ends here. And now..." Guy took a deep breath, "Official training begins!" he shouted loudly.
Everyone covered their ears except Lee, who was once again inspired by Guy's enthusiasm.
"Guy-san," Naruto interrupted.
Guy raised his eyebrow. "Yes, young man? What is it?"
"So, here's the thing. You see her, right?" Naruto pointed at Sakura.
"Yes, and? Didn't you bring her here to train together?" Guy replied.
"That's right. She's smart when it comes to training," Naruto thought to himself.
"Indeed… But it's not just that. She also… said she wanted to improve her taijutsu."
"She's like me, coming from the academy, and she's quite weak in taijutsu..."
"So, I hope you, Guy-san, can fight her and analyze what she needs to work on and improve..."
After Naruto explained everything, Guy nodded. He understood clearly.
"Alright. But let me remind you, young lady..." Guy stared at Sakura intensely.
"I'll be watching everything closely, so do your best and attack me as if I were your enemy."
Sakura looked at him and nodded.
In her mind, she finally understood that this man in front of her might be the mentor Naruto had mentioned.
And with that, their training began...
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I'm busy today
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