Chapter 44: How Good Friends Interact
"Okay."
Akiyama Makoto was a little curious as to why Ino was dragging Sakura into this, but it didn't matter who it was. As long as they could take him to see Sasuke, he had no reason to refuse.
Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions, Ino finally let out a sigh of relief and began to lead him towards Sakura's house.
Before they even arrived, Ino was already biting her lip nervously. She had just realized that she would need Sakura to cooperate and keep her secret as well. And would that girl, Haruno Sakura, obediently keep a secret for her? Wasn't she more likely to jump out and loudly mock her?
Ino's fears were realized. She hadn't even figured out what to say when she saw Sakura, before Sakura herself, holding a small stray cat, leaped down from a tree branch behind them. It turned out she had been right above their heads, trying to rescue a clumsy little kitten that couldn't get down from the tree.
"Ino, you! What are you doing bringing a boy here?"
"Eh? Don't tell me you've already given up on our..."
Sakura's eyes lit up, and she was just about to mock Ino when a fist visibly enlarged before her eyes and then connected with her face. The force wasn't immense, but it was enough to make her teeth clash together, causing her to bite her tongue hard.
The pain made Sakura drop the cat. She clutched her face and whimpered, tears beginning to stream uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Ino looked at her own fist, feeling a little guilty. She knew she hadn't held back. But she didn't regret it. She believed that the solid friendship between her and Sakura wouldn't be shattered by a single punch. On the contrary, if she had let Sakura finish her sentence just now, that might have been the beginning of the complete collapse of their friendship.
"You jerk..."
Sakura tried to move her tongue. Once the tip of it had slowly regained feeling, she shot Ino a furious glare. But to her surprise, she saw that Ino was staring back at her even more angrily, one hand gesturing behind Makoto's back.
Seeing her make the sign for the number three, Sakura became even more annoyed and directly held up five fingers. This was no joke. That wasn't an ordinary punch; Ino had just punched her best friend for a boy! If Ino didn't treat her to five meals, there was no way Sakura was going to forgive her.
Seeing this, Ino felt as if her heart was bleeding, but she still hooked her finger and nodded, finalizing the agreement with Sakura.
Only then did Sakura slowly lift her head and ask in an aggrieved and indignant tone, "Ino, what are you doing?! I'm your friend, and you hit me!"
"Ahaha, isn't this the popular way of greeting people these days?" Ino replied with a dry laugh.
"Then how about I greet you back?" Sakura said, cracking her knuckles.
The sight made Ino's face pale. Although the Sakura of this time didn't have her monstrous strength yet, her fists were still plenty powerful. Ino had no desire to take a punch for nothing. She backed away repeatedly until she bumped into something. Turning around, who else could it be but Akiyama Makoto?
As if she had found her pillar of support, Ino deftly hid behind him, grabbing his arm. "Um, ahem, let me introduce you to my friend..."
"Friend? I thought it was a boyfriend," Sakura said, looking at Makoto with a hostile expression.
Just moments ago, she hadn't even gotten a clear look at him before Ino had punched her because of him. How could she possibly be happy? But for the sake of her friendship with Ino, and on the grounds that Ino would no longer be pestering Sasuke from now on, she supposed she could be friends with him.
However, when Sakura truly got a clear look at Makoto's face, she couldn't help but be stunned.
Just as Tenten had said, what girl their age didn't have a thing for good looks? After several talent upgrades and his own physical training, Makoto's appearance had transformed from a somewhat sickly pale to that of a truly handsome and talented young man. And unlike Sasuke, who still had the air of a little brat, Makoto's temperament leaned more towards that of a mature young man, giving off a greater sense of security. This gave him a charm that was in no way inferior to Sasuke's.
In that instant, only one thought was in Sakura's mind: No wonder Ino was smitten. How have I never heard of a boy like this before?
The smile on Ino's face also slowly stiffened. She hadn't even said his name yet, and Sakura was already staring? Although she and Makoto were far from being a couple, she couldn't allow Sakura to get involved. So, she brandished her little fist at Sakura. If she dared to fangirl over him, she wouldn't mind giving her another punch.
"My name is Akiyama Makoto."
At this moment, Makoto spoke up. He knew that Sakura and Ino's friendship was deep and that what had just happened was, at most, a squabble between them. But he wasn't that close with Sakura. If Ino really made her angry, he would have to go and find Shikamaru and Chōji for help.
Makoto took the initiative to extend his hand and said with a bright smile, "Unfortunately, I'm not Ino's boyfriend. Although I wish I were, I don't think she thinks I'm good enough for her yet."
Hearing this, Sakura's gaze shifted back to Ino's face. And at this moment, were there anything but his side profile in Ino's eyes? If this wasn't being smitten, what was?
Sakura pursed her lips. After a polite handshake with Makoto, she said, "I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm this girl's friend... I guess I can be friends with you too in the future."
Only then did Ino snap back to reality. "No, Sakura, you can just be friends with me. Makoto-kun is very busy; he doesn't have time to be friends with you."
Sakura shot her a harsh glare. "Then what are you two 'not-a-couple' friends doing here? Don't tell me you just came to show off your affection?"
Only then did Ino start to talk about the matter with Sasuke. Sakura's expression became conflicted.
"Wait, you mean he wants to meet Sasuke, and he wants me to be the one to introduce them?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem? Aren't you close with Sasuke?" Ino asked, knowing full well the answer, while pretending not to see Sakura rolling her eyes.
Sakura was indeed "close" with Sasuke, but it was a one-sided familiarity. Sasuke barely paid her any attention, okay? She had never even been to his house herself. How could she just bring a stranger there?
Just as Sakura was hesitating, Ino saw through her thoughts, leaned in, and whispered with a laugh.
"Isn't this a great opportunity for you to go to Sasuke's house? Maybe you can go there often in the future!"
Sakura's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. That's right! Perhaps this was her chance to break through Sasuke's defenses?
"Wait here for me!"
Sakura immediately ran home. A full half-hour passed before she returned. By now, she was dressed to the nines, looking like a star from a movie poster, much to the dismay of Ino and Makoto.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!