It didn't take long for Ino and the others to wait before Sakura and Naruto finally came into view.
Naruto's arrival instantly silenced the surrounding parents, who immediately pulled their children back, creating a large empty space around him within seconds.
Their actions showed no attempt at concealment. Open hostility was plainly visible on their faces. Naruto's previously cheerful mood vanished in an instant. He walked forward silently, his head bowed low.
"Why is that kid here too?"
"That demon fox? Why would the Third allow him to attend school?"
"We feel unsafe having our kids go to school with him!"
"What if he hurts our children out of anger?"
"Don't let our kids anywhere near that demon fox!"
These barely concealed whispers reached Naruto's ears. Hearing the murmurs behind him and feeling those piercing stares, Naruto looked dejected.
"Hey, don't be sad, Naruto. You've never been a demon fox to begin with. Let them gossip all they want—no matter how much they despise you, we're still your friends."
Sakura took hold of Naruto's hand gently and said with sympathy. Have these Konoha villagers ever considered that the very 'demon fox' they insult will one day save the entire shinobi world? It was undeniably ironic—he had every reason to turn dark, yet he was the one who ended up saving everything.
"Sakura… thanks for not hating me because of what I am," Naruto wiped his eyes with his free hand and once again broke into a bright smile. Sakura was right—he had many friends who cared about him.
"I've told you so many times already—you're no demon fox! You're a hero who saved Konoha!" Sakura replied earnestly. Every jinchuriki across the ninja villages bore the same fate—treated as monsters, despised, feared, and resented by villagers. Yet in reality, they were heroes who sacrificed themselves to seal away the tailed beasts, protecting their homes from destruction.
Side by side, the two proceeded without hindrance toward where Ino and the others waited. As they passed, the villagers shied away like the plague, unintentionally clearing a path. It gave Sakura a strange feeling—as if she were walking beside an emperor, while commoners scrambled to stay out of sight.
"Why didn't your parents come with you today?"
Ino asked curiously. For such an important event like the Ninja Academy's opening ceremony, unless you were an orphan, there was no way parents wouldn't show up!
"They've been buried under business in Kokuto—they couldn't make it back in time."
Sakura covered her face with both hands. Initially, she had only wanted her parents to partner with Mr. Ichiraku to improve her parents' living conditions. But unexpectedly, once her own lucky ability activated, her parents' fortune also began flourishing. Over the past year, the couple had been busily expanding their business throughout the entire Land of Fire. At first limited to the food industry, thanks to a group of chefs trained by Mr. Ichiraku and various fresh dishes provided by Sakura, the restaurant chain branded as "Cathay Cuisine" seemed unstoppable. Nowadays, Mr. Ichiraku rarely cooked directly for customers anymore—most of the time he spent teaching and training apprentices. Only when Sakura and others visited would he personally enter the kitchen. He was incredibly excited about successfully spreading his culinary skills across the Land of Fire.
After dominating the food market, Haruno Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki were further encouraged by Sakura's hints to venture into other industries. Within just one year, the Haruno family became well-known wealthy merchants in the Land of Fire. Recently, they'd even started considering expanding their business overseas. With more affairs occupying them, however, the couple no longer had much time to return to Konoha. Fortunately, since Sakura always appeared quite mature and responsible, combined with the Third Hokage's guarantee, they never felt particularly worried about her safety.
In fact, initially, the couple did consider bringing Sakura to live with them in Kokuto—the capital city of the Land of Fire. After all, money wasn't an issue in her family, and there was no need for her to become a dangerous ninja. However, Sakura rejected their offer and immediately got the Third Hokage to serve as her guarantor.
The reason why the Third agreed to stand up for Sakura wasn't merely due to her significant capabilities; most importantly, the larger the Haruno business grew, the more taxes it contributed to Konoha annually. Naturally, the Third wanted to ensure Sakura remained firmly tied to Konoha's interests.
Switching back to the present conversation, upon hearing Sakura's explanation, Ino quickly understood. However, after glancing at Naruto and Sakura holding hands, a motherly grin surfaced on her face.
"Sakura, so you've already gotten together with Naruto, huh? That explains why the two of you came to school specially holding hands!"
"Geez, could you please not act so mature for once?" Sakura responded dryly.
"You know perfectly well that I'm currently living together with Naruto. Isn't it totally normal for people our age to hold hands like this?"
Since Kizashi and Mebuki didn't have time to return home, only Sakura remained living at the Haruno residence. By coincidence, during a visit to Naruto's apartment, she discovered that he barely knew how to take care of himself or handle household chores. After briefly informing the Third Hokage, she straightforwardly invited Naruto to move in—making life together less lonely.
A prickling sensation suddenly crawled down Sakura's spine, making her instinctively shiver. Turning around, just as expected, it was none other than Sasuke glaring at her from behind with that same intense gaze.
"Could you stop staring at me like that? It's not my fault your brother doesn't have time to keep you company!"
Sakura's lips quivered slightly. Since Itachi Uchiha joined Anbu, his days had become extremely busy. Even during the rare moments he had free time, he would accompany Izumi Uchiha to eat dango and chat at the dango shop. Ever since then, Sasuke had always given her those glaring looks filled with resentment, making it impossible for her to ignore.
"If it weren't for you tricking me, Brother wouldn't have ended up with Auntie Izumi! That time should've been mine with Brother!"
Sasuke's resentment was off the charts. He should've never trusted Sakura from the start—first being tricked into wearing girl's clothes, and now having lost all his time with Brother. How infuriating! He proved himself right—she really was a demon!
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