Naruto: In the future world

"S–Sasuke…"

Sakura spoke in a hushed voice as she lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. She couldn't bear to look at him after remembering those harsh words he had said.

Naruto was stunned by Sasuke's sudden involvement, as if nothing had happened the day before.

Ino merely blushed and looked to the side slowly. She had already heard everything that had transpired between Sakura and Sasuke.

But it hadn't happened to her. Of course, she was upset that he had done this to her friend—even if it was before she truly got to know her.

Still… she couldn't deny that she held some warm feelings for him. Feelings don't just disappear that easily, do they?

"Sakura, I need to talk to you for a bit…"

Sasuke spoke quietly as he took Sakura's hand and led her out of the classroom before she could even reply—he hadn't given her the chance to respond at all...

"Oi, Sasuke, what do you think you're doing??"

Naruto called out in confusion, but Sasuke simply ignored him.

"Isn't Sasuke acting kind of weird? He didn't even say hello…"

Kiba whispered next to Naruto's ear, making the latter jump back in fright.

"Since when were you here?? You really scared me!!"

"What do you mean? We've been together since the start! Did you forget I was with you this whole time??"

Kiba yelled, clearly offended, causing Naruto to respond awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head:

"A-ah, about that… I forgot. Sorry."

"You bastard!! I knew it!! Man, I can't believe this!" Kiba grabbed Naruto by the neck, shaking him in frustration.

"Damn it, Kiba! You're gonna kill me! I said I'm sorry!" Naruto began tapping Kiba's arm with the palm of his hand, signaling surrender, but Kiba wouldn't let go.

"Hahaha, you guys are hilarious," Ino laughed cheerfully as she watched them bicker.

"Hehehe…"

The two boys smiled slowly at her, then they all burst into laughter together.

"Mind if I join in on what's so funny? I'm getting tired of just standing around…"

A sudden whisper beside them made the three jump and hug each other in terror.

"Oh my god, it's a ghost!!"

Their loud shriek drew curious glances from the rest of the class, and a few students couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

(Wait, why did I scream too?!) Naruto thought to himself in embarrassment. It would be laughable if anyone knew a guy in his mid-twenties like him had screamed like a child!

"Oh… it's just you, Karin."

As Naruto focused his eyes, he realized it was Karin—the girl who had arrived with Sasuke some time ago.

"Your presence is way too ghostly, Karin-san. You sneak up on people without a sound. Maybe you should appear more normally," Kiba commented with irritation.

"Sounds familiar…" Ino whispered into Naruto's ear with a stifled giggle.

"Yeah, yeah. Exactly the same," Naruto mimicked her, whispering and laughing just as she did.

"Ah, I'm sorry, hehe," Karin laughed awkwardly, apologizing.

The three looked at her in confusion, but then her expression darkened as she muttered in anger:

"It's my fault for feeling embarrassed by your awkward antics, and my fault for stepping on my pride just to talk to you. Yes, my bad, I'm sorry."

Kiba, Ino, and Naruto all trembled with fear.

"A-ah, Karin-san, it's not your fault…" the three stammered with nervous smiles.

"Oh really? That's good to hear then,"

Karin smiled gently, her cheeks slightly flushed.

(Good god, she's terrifying, ) Kiba thought, smiling stiffly.

(She's definitely scary, ) Ino thought the same.

(This version of Karin is absolutely terrifying!! ) Naruto shared the sentiment.

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Scene Fifteen

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The butterfly escaped its cage.

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Sasuke and Sakura continued walking, his hand gripping hers tightly, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

He had imposed complete control, as though he were the master of a butterfly—keeping her trapped in a vast cage where his word was law.

He led her against her will to the school courtyard, then let go and stared at her as they faced one another.

For a moment, Sakura touched her wrist. His grip had hurt—his strong hands were like steel.

She couldn't look into his eyes and kept her gaze fixed on the ground.

She didn't know what to say and preferred to let him speak first.

"About yesterday…"

Sasuke hesitated. His words failed him, his tongue tied. Everything he'd prepared to say vanished in an instant.

"Well, I'm sorry for the harsh things I said. I was in a bad mood and I spoke without thinking."

Sakura remained silent, not replying. She needed to hear everything before deciding.

"I mean, I don't want things to be ruined between us… I love you." Sasuke's face was hidden.

Sakura was taken aback. Her heart fluttered with a glimmer of hope at those words… but it quickly vanished.

"As a close friend…"

He scratched his head and looked away. His expression was unclear—were those truly his feelings? Or perhaps… they weren't?

Sakura felt lost. Is that how he feels about me? Just as a friend?

She didn't know what to say. She was silent, confused. So nothing had changed from yesterday… he was just apologizing for the harsh rejection, only to reject her gently this time?

"I–I mean… the thing about lo—"

"T–That's enough. I–I understand."

Sakura spoke while looking down. She didn't want to look at him. But maybe… if she had the courage to meet his eyes, things might've been different?

Sasuke realized he'd made a mistake. How could he fix this?

"Sakura, I—I mean…"

"It's okay. You don't need to explain yourself. I get it. Of course, yesterday you were in a bad mood because of the fight, and I surprised you with those words," she said, lifting her head.

Her eyes were closed. She couldn't bear to look at him. She smiled and added,

"In the end, I can't be selfish… right?"

"Y–Yeah… that's right."

But Sasuke misunderstood her words completely. How could he not? She was smiling, as if she truly understood his feelings.

Did they both misunderstand each other?

Was it all just a miscommunication?

"In that case, I'll go ahead…" Sakura said quickly, still looking down.

Sasuke stood still, watching her hurried steps as she walked away.

(S–She's going to wait for me… right? That's what she meant… right?) Sasuke's cheeks flushed red as he smiled with joy, unaware of what Sakura had really meant.

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Scene Fifteen

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The butterfly escaped its cage (End)

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Elsewhere, Sakura was walking quickly, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't have the courage to speak clearly. She needed to say anything—anything to keep herself from crying in front of the man she had loved with all her heart until that very moment.

(It's okay… I can't be selfish and think he might love me. I can't be selfish.)

She wiped her tears and stopped walking.

She stood still for a moment and opened her eyes. What greeted her were blue eyes—sky-colored, filled with tension and worry. She saw herself reflected in those eyes, and realized she was the cause of that concern.

And that alone made her heart race uncontrollably. Love couldn't possibly be such a fickle thing, coming and going so easily… right?

"Sakura-chan, are you okay? Were you crying?"

The blonde boy asked with concern and slight nervousness in his voice.

Cherry Blossom smiled at his worry and answered:

"Don't worry. It was just some dust that got in my eye. I was rubbing it for a while, but it won't go away."

"Really? Let me see. I'll blow on your eye."

"O–Okay…"

Naruto approached her slowly, cupping her small, delicate face with his large hands.

He looked at her left eye and gently blew on it.

"Did the dust go away?"

"Not yet… could you blow on the other eye too, Naruto-kun?"

"O–Of course."

He leaned in and gently blew on her right eye as well.

"How about now? Feeling better?"

"Yes. I feel much better."

"That's great…"

The two stared at each other. The moment was incredibly strange for both of them. They knew what was about to happen—but were they ready for what would come next?

They kept gazing into each other's eyes. Sakura reached out and held onto Naruto slightly. They leaned closer and closer, as if pulled by some unseen force. Only a tiny sliver of space remained between them.

There was no turning back. They kissed.

Strangely enough, it felt utterly bizarre and completely illogical.

But perhaps because it was so strange, and maybe because the situation was so illogical… they ended up kissing without any warning.

They lingered in the kiss before finally pulling away to catch their breath. Both of their faces were red—like two ripe, delicious tomatoes, ready to be picked.

"That's dangerous, Naruto-kun. You can't kiss a girl so passionately like that… she might fall for you."

"It's fine… if it's you, Sakura-chan," Naruto moved in to kiss her again.

"Hey, stop! You can't take advantage of my weakness to kiss me!" Sakura pushed him back, putting her finger to his lips to stop him from getting any closer.

If he continued… she wasn't sure what might happen next.

Naruto backed off and looked away.

"S–Sorry."

"Yeah, you better be! You didn't even apologize for yesterday either!"

"Sorry about that too."

"You better be!!"

"I've learned my lesson, I swear! I won't do it again," Naruto said, looking directly at her. But then he added,

"…until you fall in love with me. I won't kiss you again."

Sakura froze, her face reddening to the point that steam practically burst from her head.

"W–What are you saying!! I'll always love Sasuke!" she yelled, brushing some of her hair back, feeling like her heart was about to explode.

"A–Anyway! Why did you even come here?!" she quickly changed the subject before Naruto could continue.

"A–Ah, right. You two were taking a while, so I came looking for you."

"I see… then let's go back."

"What about Sasuke?"

"He'll catch up soon."

"Got it."

From a third person's perspective, that's how the conversation appeared.

Sasuke had been watching everything from the start. He had returned, hoping to properly talk to Sakura about his feelings.

But he was shocked to see her kissing Naruto like that. Even more shocking—was how natural it all seemed between them.

His emotions twisted inside. Even Sakura's words—which he had interpreted positively—now turned bitter.

Being selfish didn't mean… playing with them both, right?

Those were the thoughts that consumed him. The misunderstanding from the previous day, his idea of apologizing… Sasuke's pride had been completely shattered by that kiss.

His apology had been for nothing.

"Damn it…" He clenched his fist. He didn't want to misinterpret things… but what he had seen was undeniable. No matter what, he couldn't lie to his own eyes.

He sighed sharply, closed his eyes, and placed his left hand over his head.

(What should I do? Can you tell me, Itachi-nii-san? Can you tell me what to do? You left so suddenly, saying you'd join a criminal organization… couldn't you at least have taken me with you? Maybe that would've been better than the pain I'm drowning in without your guidance. My life has been falling apart ever since you left.)

A single tear slipped down his cheek. He couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Hah… Nii-san… why did you leave me all alone?"

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A few hours later, near the school…

A large gathering of delinquents filled an abandoned building—hundreds of them.

At a slightly elevated platform, where cars were parked in a perfect formation like a command center, a young man with red hair sat.

It was none other than the Red Devil of Konoha High.

Beside him was an empty throne—awaiting its rightful ruler.

From within the crowd, a figure emerged—eyes the color of honey, half-lidded and lazy, with jet-black hair.

He wore his school uniform with a long coat that fluttered with the wind as he walked.

"Please welcome our leader," shouted the Red Devil, standing in respect. The entire crowd bowed deeply.

Neither Shino nor Rock Lee were present at that time.

"He is a great and powerful man, with unmatched influence and strength among all delinquents in Tokyo."

The Red Devil smiled proudly as he introduced him to the others.

"He is King Jin."

The Red Devil shouted, pointing toward Jin, who stood calmly, staring at his followers.

"We salute King Jin!!"

The delinquents shouted in unison, their voices filled with overwhelming respect for the one known as "The King."

At that moment, the warehouse door creaked open as someone quietly slipped inside.

"I gathered you all today to inform you of something important. Tomorrow is a very special day for me… it's my eighteenth birthday."

Jin smiled, then continued:

"And someone surprised me with an incredible gift that suits this day perfectly."

As he spoke, two individuals emerged from the crowd, carrying a large bag.

They climbed atop the vehicles until they reached Jin, waiting for him to continue.

"Wait… those two are… Shino the Indestructible and Rock Lee the Drunkard?!"

"But didn't they leave the King a while ago?"

"Looks like that was just a false rumor."

Jin took the bag and opened it in front of everyone. Inside was the body of a girl—pink hair, grass-colored eyes.

It was Sakura.

Her eyes were full of tears. From her state, it seemed she was drugged—completely limp and powerless.

"Yes. Shino the Indestructible and Rock Lee the Drunkard were kind enough to bring me a bride. On the night of my eighteenth birthday, I will make this girl… my wife."

Jin grinned with pure delight and began laughing with joy.

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#To_Be_Continued