In one of the private offices at a certain school, a man sat quietly, holding a pink-colored book and reading it leisurely. The book was about the art of flirting, and he didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed about pulling it out and reading it in public.
"It's strange to be reading a book like that in a place like this. Are you thinking about something?"
A man beside him asked curiously.
"Ah, I just happened to meet an interesting child a few days ago."
"Do you want to meet him again or something? That tone of yours makes it sound like it."
"Maybe. But I shouldn't rush. I know he'll come to this place on his own... soon."
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#The_First_Encounter (3) continues...
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Naruto fell to the ground, holding onto a boy roughly his age and dragging him down with him, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go!"
The boy shouted in shock, trying to push Naruto off, but it seemed Naruto was stronger—maybe.
Naruto composed himself and, instead of shouting foolishly, spoke in a deliberately angry and serious tone:
"Don't ever call Sakura-chan annoying again, you little brat!!"
Sakura, who had been on the verge of tears from what the boy had said, was taken aback by Naruto standing up for her.
Naruto pulled away from the boy and said calmly,
"If you call Sakura-chan annoying again, I'll beat you up."
Sakura stepped behind Naruto instinctively, out of fear of the other boy—who she found rather scary—or maybe for another reason.
"Sasuke! Don't run off like that!"
From a distance, a voice called out. The older brother of the scary boy—who turned out to be Sasuke—approached and stood in front of the three with a look of surprise.
"Are these your friends, Sasuke?"
"Yeah."
Naruto immediately answered with sparkling eyes before Sasuke could even respond.
"Wait! I don't even know you and you're calling me your friend?!" Sasuke said, puffing his cheeks in annoyance.
"Hehehe! My name's Naruto, and this is Sakura-chan. What about you two?"
Itachi smiled gently and said,
"I'm Itachi. This is my adorable little brother, Sasuke."
"I-I'm not adorable!!" Sasuke turned red and yelled at Itachi in embarrassment.
"Aren't you the one always saying you're going to become the most adorable ever?"
"Itachi!!!!!!"
Sasuke's face exploded in embarrassment, and he began hitting his older brother's chest in frustration.
"Hehehe~ Hahaha! Cute little Sasuke-chan!!" Naruto laughed cheerfully with his eyes closed.
Sakura giggled as well, though she still kept a small distance between herself and Sasuke, hiding slightly behind Naruto with hesitation.
"Shut up, stupid Naruto!!"
"Hahaha, sorry Sasuke-chan!!"
"Stop putting '-chan' after my name!!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Naruto stopped laughing, but the tears still lingering in his eyes did not escape Itachi's sharp gaze—he could tell those weren't just tears of laughter.
"Alright, we need to go, Sasuke. If we're any later, Father will get angry." Itachi placed his hand gently on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Okay, Nii-san."
Sasuke looked over at Naruto and Sakura. His right cheek turned slightly red as he waved at them gently.
"See you later, stupid Naruto, and annoying Sakura."
Then he stuck his tongue out and walked off with Itachi.
Naruto and Sakura both smiled softly.
"Now then, Sakura-chan, how about we make a deal?"
Naruto turned toward Sakura slowly, smiling.
"A deal?"
"Yeah. You'll keep my secret for me, and in return, I'll do anything for you—and also, I'll buy you chocolate right now."
"Chocolate??" Sakura's eyes sparkled. She nodded excitedly and replied quickly,
"Deal!! I won't tell anyone—I promise!"
(Safe!!)
Naruto screamed in his heart with relief, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his mind.
"And don't forget—you said you'd do anything for me!!"
Sakura smiled mischievously, causing Naruto to gulp nervously.
(I really hope I didn't make a huge mistake…)
"The first thing you're going to do for me is…"
Sakura glanced to the side slowly, then continued in a soft voice:
"You'll be my friend too—not just Sasuke-kun's!"
"Alright!! I'll be your friend too, Sakura-chan!!"
Naruto smiled at her gently, and that made her visibly happy.
"Okay!"
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#Scene_Six
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#The_First_Encounter (3) End.
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Back in the middle of the meeting between the Haruno and Namikaze.
Kizashi had started to notice that Sakura had been gone for quite a while.
Even though he hadn't instructed her to do anything specific, she had clearly acted on her own.
He hoped she would discover something and report back to him.
She would never hide anything from him—he had raised her that way, after all.
He slowly turned his gaze toward Sasori, who was intently following Minato's speech. When Sasori noticed his father's stare, he looked back questioningly.
Kizashi gave a subtle nod toward the door—a silent signal to follow Sakura.
Understanding the cue, Sasori stood, politely excused himself, and left under the pretense of needing a break.
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#Scene_Seven
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#Differences_Between_Worlds
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Naruto walked alongside Sakura, who was happily munching on a piece of chocolate, her face glowing with childlike joy and innocence.
"I can't believe your father really tried to do that," Naruto said, clearly concerned, as he looked at Sakura—who didn't seem too bothered.
"You mean trying to take down your Namikaze family?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Yeah. I mean, even the Uchiha wouldn't confront the Namikaze so recklessly—let alone the Haruno, who are much weaker in comparison," Naruto replied calmly, his hands behind his head.
"What do you think would happen if I told Otou-chan?"
Sakura looked at Naruto, clearly wondering.
"Most likely, there'd be a huge uproar. That would definitely give the Namikaze a reason to reveal me publicly as their heir. And on the other hand, the Uzumaki would have no choice but to side with them to bring down your Haruno clan—no matter the cost,"
Naruto raised his head slowly, thinking through the possibilities.
"You're really smart—just like Oni-chan!!"
Sakura's eyes sparkled as she looked up at Naruto.
"O-Oni…chan??" Naruto blinked in surprise, staring at her.
"You have a brother, Sakura-chan??" Naruto asked in disbelief, eyes wide.
"Yes, I do..."
(This is a huge difference! In my previous world, Sakura-chan didn't have any siblings. This just shows how different parallel worlds really are...)
Naruto smiled softly, letting out a slow sigh.
"Sakura, there you are. Where have you been? And who is that boy with you?"
Upon hearing the voice, Naruto was even more shocked than before. He slowly turned his head toward the source.
"Ah, sorry, Oni-chan. I just went for a little walk with him."
Sakura smiled as she stepped behind her older brother, a boy with red hair and cold eyes. She nudged him playfully like a child would, but he simply looked down at her with the calm stillness of a doll—almost inhuman.
"This is my brother. His name is Sasori."
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#Scene_Seven
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#Differences_Between_Worlds (End)
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#To_Be_Continued...