signingbooks Chapter 176 "Assist"
Chapter 176 "Assist"
"What's wrong, Naruto? You've looked terrible since earlier." Sakura's voice was full of worry. She had bumped into Naruto on the street earlier, and he looked anxious, as if he was searching for something. She was so worried about him that she followed him here.
Naruto originally wanted to ask Sakura for help in finding Sasuke, but then he thought that Sasuke's current situation was so "abnormal" and his emotions were extremely unstable. What if something uncontrollable happened after the two met, or Sakura saw a strange side of Sasuke... Naruto felt it was better not to explain the situation for the time being.
He had assumed that, given Satsuki's habits, the place she was most likely to visit when she was in a bad mood was this training ground where the two of them often spent time. But as his gaze swept across the empty space, he didn't see that familiar black-haired figure... Naruto pondered to himself.
How about... using [Golden Experience]'s life perception ability to scout the vicinity? If it's not here, then we'll have to search the Uchiha clan's territory...
Just as Naruto concentrated, preparing to quietly activate his ability, a more fundamental question suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Even if I find Satsuki... what should I say?
In fact, when Satsuki finally activated his Sharingan in anger, yelled at him as an idiot, and then escaped in a flash, Naruto, after his initial shock, inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
It's good that you're not sick.
It's good that I wasn't under any illusion spells.
It's good that Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto are alright too.
After ruling out all the worst possibilities, the conclusion seems to point to a more complicated but relatively "safe" area for Naruto: Satsuki is just acting strangely?
But... what girls think...
Just thinking about trying to understand this gave Naruto a headache. What was Satsuki trying to express with all those strange behaviors she did today? And how should he respond in a way that wouldn't upset her but would also help her return to normal?
Wait a minute...maybe we can take this into consideration!
Naruto abruptly turned his gaze to Sakura, who was standing beside him with a concerned expression, and asked urgently, "Sakura! Um... can I ask you a few questions? About... girls!"
"Huh? Sure, of course." Sakura was taken aback by Naruto's sudden, seemingly random question, but she readily agreed. However, looking at Naruto's anxious and uneasy expression, which he hadn't shown when facing Zabuza Momochi last time, she felt increasingly puzzled.
This is the first time I've ever seen Naruto show such a clearly flustered and unsteady side.
She softened her tone and suggested, "But don't rush, speak slowly. How about we sit down and rest for a bit? You seem to need to calm down."
Naruto paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. The two walked to the rough wooden bench by the training ground and sat down.
And the location they chose... happened to be just a few meters in front of the tree that Zuo Yue had transformed into using her transformation technique.
Thus, the ensuing conversation, which was being heard clearly by Satsuki, who was hiding in the tree, was clearly audible to her.
Seeing Naruto so anxious and uneasy because of her, Satsuki felt a pang of guilt. But when she heard Naruto suddenly turn to Sakura and ask her a question, a sense of confusion and... inexplicable wariness rose in her heart.
What questions could Naruto possibly have about Sakura? And are they about girls?
Also, aren't the two of them sitting a little too close together?
Although Naruto and Sakura were sitting side by side on the same chair, with a safe distance between them that would never lead to any accidental physical contact, in Satsuki's perspective, which was automatically filtered by her strong possessiveness, this distance was enough to make her feel jealous.
"Um... this is about a friend of mine."
Naruto's eyes darted around, as he tried to use his "creating a friend out of thin air" skill to cover up the truth. He could tell that Sakura admired Satsuki to some extent, and he didn't want Satsuki's "abnormality" today to cause Sakura to have any strange misunderstandings about her.
Friends? Sakura immediately thought of Naruto's regular playmates: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba... Who else was there? It seemed like only these three.
"Well, how should I put it?" Naruto struggled to organize his thoughts, forcing himself to continue, "It's about my friend. He's recently encountered some very perplexing things. It's like... a girl did some... um... very strange things to him."
"That's strange?!" Upon hearing this ambiguous and suggestive word, Sakura instantly covered her mouth in surprise, and her cheeks involuntarily flushed red.
"It's not what you think!" Naruto could tell from Sakura's expression that she had misunderstood, so he quickly waved his hand. "It's just literally weird! Very weird!"
And so, Naruto, haltingly and in as much detail as possible, but using "my friend" as the subject throughout, described to Sakura all that "his friend" had experienced that day—including the incredibly delicious bento box, the exaggeratedly praising poem that made one's scalp crawl, and the nickname "Little Sun," and so on.
However, upon hearing Naruto's description, Sakura frowned slightly and began to analyze the situation rapidly in her mind.
Naruto's friend... Shikamaru? A lazybones, uninterested in women. Choji? Only interested in food. Kiba? Only cares about Akamaru...
Sakura instantly understood—this was definitely not one of Naruto's friends' business; it was entirely Naruto's own business!
In other words... was Naruto harassed by a girl?
Sakura thought she guessed right, but... she was only half right! Because in her deeply ingrained belief, Satsuki was absolutely, positively incapable of doing such a thing! Satsuki was so aloof, so outstanding, so perfect!
So that's how it is... A completely new deduction that instantly put her on alert formed: a girl who appeared out of nowhere, with bold and strange behavior, had started pursuing Naruto?!
In Sakura's eyes, Naruto's looks are actually quite good. He has blond hair and blue eyes, is sunny, and is strong and reliable. He also cooks exceptionally well... In the past, rumors kept people away from him, but now that the influence of the rumors has weakened, has Naruto's charm finally become undeniable?
Besides... Naruto isn't like Sasuke, who can coldly and directly reject suitors. He probably doesn't know how to handle this kind of situation.
"Alright!" Sakura gave a "I've got this covered" smile, tinged with a hint of protectiveness. "In that case, I'll help you get rid of Satsuki's potential rival!"
Just then, Naruto finally asked the crucial question, "So Sakura... if something like this happens, how should I respond to that girl in a way that won't hurt her, but also will stop her from doing it again?"
Completely unaware that she was adding fuel to the fire, Sakura, with a "kind" smile, confidently spoke up, giving what she believed to be the most direct, effective, and helpful answer to clear the obstacles for "Satsuki".
"Isn't that simple? Just tell her—'Don't bother me with this disgusting stuff, you annoying person! Stay away from me!'—wouldn't that do the trick? I guarantee she'll never dare to bother you again!"
"...Huh?!" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he were seeing Sakura for the first time. He stared at his teammate who was smiling and saying such cruel words, his brain completely shutting down.
Behind them, the eyes that had been hidden in the wood grain, initially just watching nervously, had now completely transformed into a cold gaze as if looking at a dead person, locking onto the back of Haruno Sakura's head.