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Uzumaki Naruto walked in with both hands behind his head, a smug grin on his face, as if he had come solely to mock Sasuke.
But his eyes kept darting up toward Sakura in the tree—clearly, he had followed her here.
At that moment, Simenzhen understood why Naruto had come.
With both Sakura and Sasuke leaving the village together, Naruto was bound to follow them. Otherwise, he'd probably be too restless to sleep tonight.
"Dead last, who do you think you're laughing at?"
Sasuke may have kept quiet after Simenzhen's earlier scolding, but Naruto's ridicule was something he couldn't tolerate.
He jumped to his feet, chakra surging under his soles, and in the next second, he charged at Naruto and threw a punch straight at his face.
Although Sasuke hadn't completed his tree-climbing training yet, even halfway through it gave him a massive improvement compared to his previous self-taught attempts.
His speed was now nearly double what it was before. Naruto, who was never a match for Sasuke to begin with, couldn't possibly defend himself from this punch.
Letting out a shriek, Naruto stumbled backward, only to trip over a tree root and land hard on his rear.
"Wait, Sasuke!" Ino's voice finally rang out, worried that Sasuke might knock Naruto unconscious and land him in the hospital.
The others present might not know who Naruto really was, but Ino did.
Even though the entire village seemed to despise Naruto, he was actually under Konoha's strictest protection. He couldn't afford even a minor injury.
"Hmph. Like I'd waste my energy teaching a dead last a lesson."
Sasuke withdrew his fist. He never really intended to hurt Naruto—just scare him off.
Over the past few days training under Simenzhen, although Sasuke still didn't fully accept him, he had at least learned to rein in his temper.
If one must show respect to the strong, then one should also show grace toward the weak.
Turning away with a cool air, Sasuke seemed to momentarily reclaim his image as the school's heartthrob.
But that only infuriated Naruto further.
Not only had he screamed like a coward in front of Sakura, he was now being treated as a weakling by Sasuke.
He could live with being disliked by everyone—but being looked down on? Never.
"You bastard! Stop right there! I'm challenging you to a fight!"
Naruto lunged at Sasuke again, but this time, Sasuke didn't hold back. He flipped Naruto and pinned him down on the grass.
The move looked almost identical to the one Simenzhen used when he pinned Sasuke earlier.
"Dead last, next time I won't hold back."
"Who asked you to?! You can't even hit properly, you damn Uchiha idiot!"
Ino and Sakura jumped down from the tree and joined Simenzhen.
"What should we do? Should we intervene?" Ino was still concerned that hurting Naruto might get them all in trouble.
Sakura, however, rolled up her sleeves and said, "Let me handle it. That idiot Naruto is seriously out of line…"
She was about to say more, but Simenzhen suddenly put his arm around her shoulders.
Startled, Sakura looked up, just as Simenzhen leaned in, his mouth nearly brushing her earlobe.
Sakura froze in place, her cheeks beginning to heat up—only to hear Simenzhen's cold voice whisper in her ear:
"Sakura, don't casually call someone ill-mannered—especially if they're an orphan."
Simenzhen still remembered Sakura's worst moments. Now that she was his simulation target, he wanted to help her become a better version of herself.
"Not just Naruto—even Sasuke and I are orphans. Many in Konoha are."
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Sakura's head—she turned to stone on the spot.
She had nearly said something impulsive. Looking back, had she gone through with it, she would've hurt not just Naruto, but Sasuke and Simenzhen as well.
In that moment, she hated her own mouth. She even wanted to slap herself.
But Ino gently grabbed her hand, stopping her, and smiled softly. "It's alright. He's not mad—otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped you in time."
"Mmm…"
Sakura nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Simenzhen's back. He had saved her again.
The first time, he saved her life. This time, he had saved her dignity.
Simenzhen glanced toward the ongoing scuffle between Sasuke and Naruto, wondering how to deal with Naruto.
Technically, he should treat Naruto the way most villagers did—with indifference or even hostility—otherwise he'd draw suspicion from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
However, considering the future unity of Team 7, while he didn't need to befriend Naruto, it was important for Sasuke to at least stay on friendly terms with him.
But how should he do that…?
Simenzhen turned to Sakura and gestured for her to come over.
Still overwhelmed with emotion, Sakura rushed to him and looked up sweetly, asking, "Simen-kun, what is it?"
Simenzhen once again put his arm around her shoulders, then playfully pointed at Naruto.
"That yellow-haired fox-looking guy—who is he?"
Naruto instantly exploded. "I'm not some yellow-haired fox! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Who the heck are you, you gray-haired, pale-skinned freak? I've never seen you before! And let go of Sakura, you jerk!"
"I'm friends with Sakura. She doesn't mind this kind of contact at all, right, Sakura?"
Simenzhen winked at her, and Sakura immediately understood.
She didn't know why he wanted to provoke Naruto, but… well, shamefully, she was good at that.
After all, she and Ino had traded insults for years—and mocking Naruto was nothing new.
Sakura leaned lightly against Simenzhen and, in a sweet, girlish voice, said, "He's the dead last in our class—someone with hardly any talent who always boasts."
"Simen-kun, let's ignore him. Will you teach us how to walk on water?"
"I don't want him seeing me all wet and messy."
"Sure. Sasuke, get rid of him. If you can't even do that, don't bother following me in training anymore."
Simenzhen waved his hand and turned to leave with Sakura.
Naruto clenched his teeth so hard it was a miracle they didn't crack. He couldn't break free from Sasuke's grip and finally snapped.
"Sasuke, why are you learning from such an arrogant jerk?! Don't you see he's bullying Sakura?!"
Sasuke curled his lip. If that's bullying Sakura, then what about Tenten walking out of Simenzhen's room this morning?
Clearly, Naruto was still just a kid.
Once Simenzhen had walked far enough, Sasuke finally let Naruto go and said, "It's simple. Because he's strong. Just like I'm stronger than you—so I can sit on you like this."
"Uzumaki Naruto, no one cares what weaklings say. Go back to Konoha and play your pranks."
"Of course, you're welcome to challenge me. I just so happen to need a punching bag."
Sasuke cracked his knuckles. Seeing Naruto remain frozen, he shook his head in disappointment.
Then, he returned to the base of the large tree and resumed his tree-climbing training.
Naruto was clearly provoked. His anger made him want to hit Sasuke—but deep down, he knew he couldn't win.
Soon, he became distracted watching Sasuke repeatedly fall from the tree. At that point, he no longer dared mock him.
Before long, Naruto also found a tree and started climbing it himself—even though he didn't really understand why.
Meanwhile, Simenzhen had planned to take the two girls to the river to practice walking on water, but he suddenly sensed a strong chakra approaching—heading straight for him.
He turned around—and saw a pair of pale, white eyes.
Hinata had arrived, too?!
(End of Chapter)