Chapter 19 Breakthrough in RelationshipsSakura agreed to have dinner alone with him, and Naruto was ecstatic; this was a historic breakthrough in their relationship!
Naruto went home, changed into clothes he'd bought last year, washed his hair again, and carefully checked himself in the mirror before happily running to the agreed-upon location.
When he arrived, he found Sakura already waiting. The girl had changed into a white t-shirt, making her look exceptionally cute, and blue shorts, revealing her two well-developed, shapely legs. This…
"Sakura!" Naruto waved excitedly, his eyes involuntarily drawn to Sakura's legs.
Sakura didn't notice Naruto's odd behavior and asked, "Naruto, where are we going to eat? Naruto?"
Seeing that Naruto didn't answer, Sakura looked at him curiously, only to see Naruto with his head down, seemingly searching for something.
"Huh, Naruto, are you looking for something? Did you drop your money?"
Naruto still didn't answer, and Sakura couldn't help but get a little angry. This is the attitude I get after spending so much time with you tonight?
Following Naruto's gaze, Sakura finally realized something was wrong. Looking at Naruto's expression, she saw a goofy grin on his face, drool practically dripping onto the floor.
Sakura instantly exploded, slamming her chubby little fist into Naruto's head.
"You big pervert!!!!"
"Ah!!!!"
Sakura had initially thought Naruto would use the invitation to take her to some romantic cafe, but instead, he'd brought her to Ichiraku Ramen.
Well, it seems Naruto really just wanted to eat with her. This idiot, so innocent!
"Here comes your ramen!"
"Ha, finally here! I'm going to dig in!"
Naruto's eyes lit up at the sight of the ramen. He excitedly rubbed his hands together and started digging in.
"Sakura, why aren't you eating? It tastes really good!"
Sakura, not wanting to spoil Naruto's fun, picked up her chopsticks and started eating too.
Although they had completed many missions these past few days, they were all low-level, and the lion's share went to the team leader, leaving them with very little money.
Naruto was treating her to a meal today, which would likely consume a significant portion of their hard-earned money. Looking at Naruto's faded t-shirt, Sakura really didn't want to waste his kindness, so she forced herself to eat.
To be honest, she didn't particularly like ramen. It wasn't that she was picky about Ichiraku Ramen's taste; she simply preferred other foods.
"Uncle Ichiraku, two more bowls, please!"
"Coming right away, just a moment."
Seeing that Sakura had almost finished eating, Naruto assumed she liked ramen as much as he did, and quickly ordered two more bowls.
"Naruto, even though you've earned money from missions, you should still be careful with your spending. I can't eat that much," Sakura reminded him, somewhat disgruntled.
"Don't worry, Sakura, my wallet's bulging!"
Actually, Naruto is quite mature in his interactions with many people and situations now, but whenever he's around Sakura, he unconsciously reverts to that silly boy, willing to share everything without reservation or secrets.
The two bowls of ramen he ordered later naturally ended up in Naruto's stomach.
When it came time to pay, Sakura wanted to pay, but Naruto stopped her. Seeing his stubborn expression, Sakura worried that insisting on paying would hurt his pride, so she gave up.
[Why does he have to waste his money on me when he loves to eat so much? Is it worth it for this idiot?]
The ramen and fish balls cost 380 yen. While not expensive, it depends on who you are. For Naruto, a war orphan, his monthly allowance is only around 2000 yen, which is his main source of income. This money has to cover his food, clothing, and shelter, so ramen is always a luxury for him.
He only gets to eat at Ichiraku Ramen because he earns money from missions; otherwise, he can't afford to go there often. If he wants to eat there, he can only mooch off Iruka.
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, it was already dark. Sakura went to a nearby beverage shop and bought some juice for Naruto.
"When you're growing, you should eat more fruit or drink fruit juice, that way you'll grow taller!"
Without realizing it, Sakura began to care about Naruto, wondering if she had been too mean to him before. She realized he was just lonely.
"Ah, thank you, Sakura." Naruto was thrilled. After so many years, Sakura was actually buying him juice.
Seemingly unable to bear Naruto's intense gaze, Sakura lightly touched her hair and turned her head away.
"Um..."
"Um..."
They both spoke at the same time, then smiled awkwardly.
"You go first, Naruto."
"It's not safe for a girl to be alone at night. Let me walk you home, Sakura."
Sakura instinctively wanted to refuse. Although there was nothing between her and Naruto, it wouldn't be clear if their parents saw them.
But seeing Naruto's slender figure standing in the night wind, and that expectant look in his eyes, Sakura nodded almost unconsciously.
The two walked side by side on the path.
"Sakura, if we participate in the Chunin Exams, we'll inevitably have to fight. Zabuza's Listening Technique is actually quite useful; it can effectively prevent sneak attacks."
Sakura was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Naruto to say this. The thought of fighting made her feel troubled.
"What should I do? My parents are just ordinary ninjas, without the family tradition like Ino's. Kakashi-sensei didn't teach me any powerful ninjutsu."
"If Sakura doesn't mind, I'm willing to teach you."
"You? But Naruto, you're like me, you only graduated recently."
Sakura's tone was uncertain. It wasn't that she didn't trust Naruto, but just two months ago when he graduated, he was the worst student in his class. How could he suddenly improve to the level of someone who could teach ninjutsu? Not even Sasuke could, let alone Naruto.
Although Naruto used Healing Palm Technique and Multiple Shadow Clone Technique in the Land of Waves, Sakura felt that this was probably Naruto's limit. Furthermore, Multiple Shadow Clone Technique wasn't suitable for Sakura, and Healing Palm Technique didn't seem suitable for combat.
Naruto smiled confidently, said nothing, and tossed a kunai to Sakura.
"Huh?"
Sakura caught the kunai, puzzled. Just as she was about to ask something, Naruto's figure suddenly and inexplicably vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
Sakura frantically looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique.
"Where is he?! Where is he?!"
After searching for a long time without finding Naruto, Sakura began to panic. Not out of fear or anger, but out of concern that something might have happened to him, given Naruto's history of getting into trouble.
"Hehe, Sakura-chan."
Suddenly, a grinning face appeared before Sakura.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Sakura was startled by Naruto's sudden appearance. In her panic, she twisted her ankle, and her entire body involuntarily fell backward.