Chapter 51: Beginning the Sakura Simulation
Sakura didn't know how long she had been dizzy. By the time a pair of gentle hands pulled her out of the kimono, she felt like she was about to pass out from the heat.
"Oh no! Sakura, are you running a fever?"
Ino quickly reached out to touch Sakura's forehead. By now, Sakura had come to her senses. "I'm fine," she said. "It's just too hot."
"Then why were you suffocating yourself in there?!" Ino said, taking out a set of clothes and handing them to her. "These are all new clothes I bought in your size. Go on, change into them."
Sakura said a quiet thank you and glanced guiltily at Akiyama Makoto.
Without needing Ino to push him, he had already taken the initiative to leave the room.
The moment he closed the door, Sasuke, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately came over. "You said I had to do one thing. What is it?"
"Simple," Makoto said, not beating around the bush this time. "Apologize to Sakura in a moment, and from now on, be a well-behaved good boy in front of her."
Sasuke looked as if he had been greatly insulted. "I can apologize," he said angrily, "but what do you mean, 'be a well-behaved good boy'?"
"You don't get it?"
"I don't get it!"
"Alright then..." Makoto rubbed his chin and crooked a finger at Sasuke. After a suspicious Sasuke leaned in, he said, "She might become my girlfriend in the future. Understand now?"
Sasuke was completely petrified. He then looked at Makoto in utter astonishment, and finally said with a disgusted expression, "I can't believe your taste is so low-class. You'd actually like such a boring woman?"
Instead of getting angry, Makoto laughed. "I thought you weren't interested in girls. It seems you have your own tastes. What kind of girl do you like?"
"Someone who is strong enough and has a way to make me stronger, of course. Any other woman would just be a burden."
"I see..." Makoto said with an "as expected" expression. "When I get the chance, I'll recommend a woman on par with Orochimaru of the Sannin to be your teacher."
Sasuke's eyes lit up as he stared at Makoto. "Are you serious?"
"I swear on the name of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Fine. I'll go apologize to Sakura in a bit. And in the future, I will try my best to... remain quiet in front of her."
Sasuke's mouth twitched several times, but he still couldn't bring himself to say words like "obedient."
Makoto didn't care about these details. He knew that in the future, every time Sasuke remembered this conversation, he would surely grind his teeth in frustration. After all, the "woman" he would be introducing to Sasuke was none other than Auntie Snake.
Half an hour later, Sakura, having changed into her new clothes and tidied herself up, finally walked out of the room.
"Look! How is it? Isn't she pretty?" Ino took the initiative to liven up the atmosphere. "Makoto, I didn't know you were skilled at cutting hair, too. How about you cut my hair for me in the future?"
"Of course, as long as you're not afraid of me messing it up."
Beside them, Sakura subconsciously wanted to say: Makoto likes long hair, Ino, you must not cut it short! But for some reason, she swallowed the words.
Seeing that Sakura wasn't joining in, Ino was about to say something more when Makoto stepped aside, revealing Sasuke leaning against the doorframe.
Sasuke immediately stood up straight. Although he felt a sense of unwillingness in his heart, he still turned and gave Sakura a formal bow.
Sakura was stunned. She reached out and pinched Ino's cheek. Ino, not getting angry, pinched Sakura's nose in return. After they both yelped in pain, they looked at each other as if they had seen a ghost, and then both turned to look at Makoto.
"Makoto, what kind of genjutsu did you use on him?" Ino asked.
"Or do you have some kind of dirt on him?" Sakura quickly added.
Sasuke raised his head, his expression stiff. "It has nothing to do with him. I did something wrong, so I must take responsibility. The Uchiha do not tarnish their own honor."
"Haruno Sakura, I can also compensate you with money. I don't have any right now, but I'll give it to you after we graduate and start doing missions."
"No, you don't have to..."
Sakura was about to refuse, but Ino quickly covered her mouth. "We'll discuss this later! In any case, you just have to remember that you owe Sakura a favor, understand?"
Seeing Sasuke nod, Ino finally let go of Sakura and pulled her a short distance away.
"Why were you about to refuse? Isn't this a good opportunity? From now on, it'll be easier to get close to Sasuke... Wait, don't tell me you've started to hate him?" Ino looked at Sakura with confusion.
Sakura also looked a bit lost. If her feeling towards Sasuke in the room had been just fear, then now, seeing him bow to her, all she felt was a kind of blandness. It was like a fan finally seeing their idol in person, only to discover that he was just as uninteresting as any ordinary person, and even had a terrible temper. With that, the fantasy was shattered.
"That's probably for the best. With a personality like Sasuke's, I wouldn't be at ease with you getting close to him either."
"How about this? In the future, I'll help you find a more outstanding boy. The two of us don't need to bicker over a little brat anymore."
Sakura couldn't help but laugh. She stared at Ino and said, "How did Sasuke suddenly become a 'little brat' in your mouth? Who changed you? It's so hard to guess!"
Ino's pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't need to be shy in front of Sakura. "Makoto doesn't have any feelings for me yet. And he's on good terms with Tenten. Nothing is certain about the future."
"But from now on, you're not allowed to joke about me in front of him. I still have to maintain my wonderful image."
"Shameless! So shameless!" Sakura teased her, while at the same time, ripples formed in her heart. So... Ino's feelings are one-sided?
On the other side, Sasuke spoke up. "Can I go now?"
Makoto nodded. "Remember to come to the Hokage's Office tomorrow to sign the contract with me. Also... if anyone asks in the future if I learned ninjutsu from you, just say yes."
Sasuke was taken aback, then asked with confusion, "Is the origin of your ninjutsu not something that can see the light of day?"
"What, are you interested in that sort of thing? Or are you scared to learn?"
Sasuke snorted coldly. "Even if you're a rogue ninja or a spy, as long as you can make me stronger, I don't care."
With that, he flipped over the wall and left.
Makoto watched his retreating back and sighed. Sasuke's defection truly was inevitable.
Afterward, he walked Ino and Sakura home. The three of them chatted and laughed along the way, clearly having gotten to know each other well. Ino's house was the closest, so he dropped her off first, then walked Sakura to her door.
He had originally planned to leave then, but Sakura said, "Um, Makoto-kun, can I go to your place with Ino in the future?"
Makoto was slightly taken aback. "Why?"
"Because... I want to learn medical ninjutsu from you," she quickly found an excuse.
"I see... No problem."
He was going to simulate with Sakura tonight anyway. He could just use the knowledge he gained from her to teach her in return. That way, he wouldn't owe her anything.
The two said their goodbyes. When night fell and all was quiet, Makoto couldn't wait to begin a new round of simulation.
This time, would he be able to learn Tsunade's S-rank ninjutsu?
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