Bang! Bang!
Fists and feet collided in a fierce flurry, Sasuke and Neji were locked in an intense hand-to-hand battle.
Meanwhile, Kirito had zero interest in watching them.
It was break time, and he was sprawled out comfortably across the wooden frame of the carriage. The platform wasn't very wide, so Kirito, completely unconcerned with appearances, had his legs dangling lazily over the horse's back, while his upper body was stretched into the carriage compartment, right into the space occupied by Asuna.
His jet-black eyes blinked up at her from below, calmly gazing at the girl before him from an upside-down angle.
Outside, the sounds of fighting rang out clearly, but Kirito remained right where he was, silent, unmoving, eyes fixed on the young woman in front of him.
"…."
After more than ten straight minutes of being stared at without blinking, Asuna, who had been pretending not to notice, couldn't take it anymore. A giant throbbing vein bulged on her forehead.
She jabbed her finger at Kirito's forehead and snapped,
"Hey! What are you staring at me for?! And what's with that position?! You look disgusting!"
"Hm?"
Kirito, half-lidded and expressionless, lifted one eye lazily at her shout. Then, with a slow blink, he grinned,
"Ah… nothing. You looked nice, so I kept looking~"
"Hahh~ You're such a reckless weirdo!"
Asuna sighed helplessly and shook her head. But despite her tone, there wasn't any real anger behind her words.
Once she returned to the daimyō's palace… would there still be anyone who spoke to her like this?
Would anyone ever speak to her plainly again, without bows or titles, without calling her "Princess", just Asuna?
Her soft chestnut hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her eyes, usually spirited, now held a faint trace of sorrow.
Kirito reached up and gently ran his fingers through her hair, giving her a rare, sincere smile.
"If you keep showing that face… I just might have to do something about it~"
Asuna blinked, startled. Then, a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She glared at him and huffed,
"You really talk smooth for someone who looks so dumb. You must've tricked plenty of naïve girls by now, huh? Too bad for you, this princess isn't one of them! And stop touching my hair!"
Kirito chuckled, his fingers still weaving through her silky locks.
"No way. You're such a cute little tsundere, Asuna~ It suits you."
"Tch~"
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Asuna pulled back the half-tangled section of hair from his hand. But the moment she got it back, his fingers were already reaching for the other side, catching her completely off guard.
Flustered and defenseless, she tilted her head away, only for Kirito to lift his arm high and keep ruffling like nothing had changed.
"Hey! Is it standard protocol for Konoha shinobi to harass the people they're supposed to protect?"
Asuna raised her chin and threatened,
"I'm reporting this abuse of power!"
"Oh?"
Kirito continued playing with her hair, unfazed.
"But I'm not a shinobi."
"…."
Asuna slapped his hand away, irritated.
"Enough already! Quit messing around!"
"Nope."
Kirito replied cheerfully, still toying with her hair.
"The more you shout, the more amusing this gets~"
"I'm gonna yell for the others! I'll have those three ninjas outside arrest you!"
"They can't beat me," Kirito said with a smile.
"Huh?"
Asuna blinked in surprise.
"You're saying… those three ninja from Konoha couldn't even take you down?"
"Mm-hmm~" Kirito nodded seriously. "That's right."
Asuna fumed, cheeks puffed.
"What the heck! So many ninja and they still can't handle you? Are all Konoha ninja trash or what?!"
"Not all of them," Kirito replied with a sly grin.
"But most, yeah."
He was still smiling, but the undeniable arrogance in his tone said he wasn't joking. His words weren't flippant, they were a declaration.
Unable to stop him and with no weapon against his overconfidence, Asuna gave up. She propped her chin on her hand, turned away from Kirito, and stared absently out the carriage window.
But what she saw out there, was not good.
Sasuke and Neji's spar had clearly escalated. Their attacks were growing more violent, their movements more intense, they were starting to fight for real. Off to the side, Tenten looked visibly panicked as she tried to intervene, but the two boys weren't listening.
Even someone as uninvolved as Asuna could tell that the situation was spinning out of control.
"Kirito! Stop fooling around!"
Her voice turned urgent.
"Your teammates, those two, they're not just sparring anymore! They're seriously going at it!"
"Oh. Don't worry, it's nothing."
Kirito replied calmly, still.
"…"
Asuna watched for another moment. She saw one of them pull out a kunai, and the other quickly drew his own. The two were now clashing weapons, their blows ringing out in sharp, metallic bursts.
The sparring match had officially turned into a lethal duel.
Asuna yelled again, her voice rising with panic,
"Kirito! Stop them! If you don't step in soon, someone's going to get seriously hurt!"
Click.
Kirito's eyes flickered open, the last remnants of his patience gone. He sat up slowly from the wooden plank, his gaze turning cold and sharp as he glanced toward the fight outside the carriage.
There was a hint of genuine annoyance in his expression now.
<><>---------------------------------------
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed