"Then... okay, what should I do?"
After clenching his teeth for a moment, Sasuke's eyes burned with determination. Everything was for his brother—he would never allow outsiders to target his older brother again.
"Easy! Just talk up Haruka to your brother a bit, set up some chances for them to hang out, and casually drop hints around Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san about her liking him!"
With her goal finally achieved, Sakura relaxed slightly—being a matchmaker sure wasn't a walk in the park. At such a young age, she already had to worry about other people's love lives—it felt like the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders.
"Fine!" Sasuke thought for a moment—what did he have to lose? He nodded immediately.
Just as Sakura and Sasuke walked back, they saw Neji approaching with two kids about the same age.
"What underhanded schemes have you two been plotting?!"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Neji had spotted Sakura and Sasuke acting suspiciously close beneath a tree from afar. His gut told him these two were definitely talking about something shady.
"What do you mean underhanded schemes?! I'm helping bring people together!" Sakura argued, then noticing the two somewhat familiar faces behind Neji, she asked, "Who are they?"
"My classmates—Lee and Tenten!"
Neji's words made Sakura smack her forehead dramatically. Right! That girl wearing twin buns was none other than Tenten, who in the original story was Neji's teammate. After Neji's death, she remained unmarried all her life, running a weapons shop with little business while cherishing memories of Neji forever. As for the other one, that round pair of bright eyes, thick bushy eyebrows just like Sensei Guy's, and the watermelon hairstyle—there was no mistaking it: Lee, widely speculated in the original story to be Sensei Guy's secret lovechild.
"Hey, what kind of look was that just now?"
Neji's forehead vein pulsed visibly. The way Sakura had looked at him moments ago was like looking at someone already doomed—total pity mixed with dread.
"N-nothing!" Sakura said nervously, almost having blurted out earlier, "You die such a tragic death, Neji!"
"Hello, I'm Tenten, nice to meet you—I'm a friend of Neji's!" Tenten greeted warmly, and when mentioning Neji, a faint blush appeared on her face.
"Not bad, kid! So quick to settle down already!"
Sakura winked suggestively. With Hizashi Hyuga still alive and the [Caged Bird Seal] gone, Neji was nothing like his old self—he even knew how to make friends now!
"You're making things up!" Neji turned up his nose and ignored her pointedly.
"H-hello, my name is Lee… umm… excuse me, are you really called Sakura? I… I like you."
Lee stuttered shyly, a visible blush creeping onto his face.
"No! Please stop! I'm not into Sensei Guy's style!" Sakura's face turned green. Were the children of the shinobi world really so precocious nowadays? Even five-year-olds were doing full-on love confessions these days?
Chapter 46 – Fateful Gathering [Part 2] [Second Update]
"W-was I… rejected?"
Lee's eyes instantly moistened, his whole body trembling as if struck by an unbearable blow.
"Don't take it so hard. Rejection happens all times after confessions!" Sakura said helplessly. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had wounded this young boy's innocent heart. After thinking for a moment, she decided to just leave Lee to Might Guy. "I'll introduce someone to you. I think you two would really hit it off."
"Who?!" Lee lifted his head. At least he wasn't quite as sad as before. Sakura was right—getting rejected was normal. He'd just try again next time.
"Uncle Guy, come over here for a second! Let me introduce a son to you!" Sakura shouted toward Guy, who was currently pestering Kakashi.
"Huh?!"
Guy turned his head in complete bewilderment. A son? What kind of situation was this?
The others also turned their heads in confusion and immediately spotted Lee standing beside Neji. Then, everyone's expressions instantly changed.
"Guy, you actually have such a grown-up son already?!"
Kakashi Hatake's single visible eye nearly popped out completely. Shouldn't Guy be like him—a confirmed bachelor? So why had a son suddenly appeared out of nowhere? A sense of betrayal surged within him.
"So this is Lee's father, huh? No wonder they look so alike!" Neji and Tenten wore equally shocked expressions. They thought Lee was an orphan, but apparently that wasn't true anymore?
"So Lee was abandoned by his father? What a cruel man!" Tenten let her imagination run wild, instantly casting Guy as a child-abandoning villain in her mind.
As for Guy himself… Well, he was also completely baffled right now. Since when did he have a son? He didn't even have a girlfriend! Could it possibly be from some drunken night gone wrong? But that didn't make sense either—if you calculated backward according to the child's age, back then he was barely in his early teens. There was no way he'd been drinking at that age. But how else could you explain their similar appearance?!
"Guy, you're absolutely despicable!" Kakashi expressed disappointment. "I understand your passion for training, but neglecting your child is unforgivable! How much hardship must this poor child have endured growing up all alone?"
"No, Kakashi, I'm not his father—"
Guy waved his hands frantically wanting to explain—he truly didn't know what was going on—but before he finished speaking, Tenten cut him off.
"No wonder Lee worked so hard at the Ninja Academy! It turns out he was trying to find you—the bastard father all along!"
The look of contempt on Tenten's face hit Guy like a punch to the gut. Seriously, he still hadn't figured anything out!
Meanwhile, Naruto and Ino stormed over, glaring furiously at Guy. They originally thought this thick-eyebrowed guy was a decent person, never expecting him to be a heartless scoundrel abandoning wife and child. Hinata dealt Guy an especially devastating blow though.
"Um… If it's because you're short on cash…"
"I seriously am NOT his father!!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>