At the Hokage's Office, Nighttime
Hiruzen was busy signing every document that needed his attention.
"Come in," he said calmly, noticing the ANBU waiting for him.
"Yes, sir. Sorry to disturb you... I have a report regarding Naruto, the Jinchuriki," the ANBU said flatly.
Hiruzen looked slightly disturbed, his curiosity piqued as his eyes sharpened.
"Reports about Naruto usually only come once a week... something must have happened," he said calmly.
The ANBU nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama." He then began recounting everything.
After listening to the report, Hiruzen's expression turned grim. His hand clenched tightly on the desk.
"How could he know... especially about his father?" Hiruzen thought.
"Are you absolutely sure no one met with him?" Hiruzen asked to confirm.
The ANBU understood what he meant and nodded. "Yes, sir."
Still, the only name that came to Hiruzen's mind was Danzo. He had made a move.
"That fool... what is he up to this time?" Hiruzen muttered.
"Alright, thank you for your work."
The ANBU bowed, saluted, and left.
As he watched the ANBU leave, Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh. "Why is this happening? Is Danzo really behind it? I'll have to speak to him in private..."
Back at the Academy
"Did Sasuke just challenge Naruto?"
Sasuke's sudden words stirred a commotion in the classroom.
It was unusual. Sasuke usually only accepted challenges, but now he was the one challenging Naruto.
Naruto turned toward the voice. He looked at Sasuke calmly.
"Sorry, Sasuke, but I don't feel like fighting right now," he said casually.
Sasuke frowned. "Why?" he asked coldly.
Naruto paused for a moment and gave a slight smile.
"Because I have no reason for fight," and also because I'd definitely lose to you, he added silently.
He didn't want to do anything foolish. At the very least, he had to look cool, like a proper main character.
Meanwhile, Ino, who was sitting next to Naruto, glanced briefly at Sasuke. Over the past few days, her view of him had started to change after getting to know Naruto better.
Now, she cared more about someone who was actually there for her. But then...
Her eyes caught an opportunity.
"Hey, Naruto," she said, nudging his shoulder. "Why did you refuse him? Don't tell me you're too scared to face him?"
Her tone was soft, attempting to tease him.
Both boys turned to Ino. Sasuke didn't care much, but he was glad if Ino could help push Naruto into accepting the fight.
Naruto quickly covered Ino's mouth with his hand.
"Mmm mm-m!" Ino tried to pull his hand away.
He pinched her lips shut so she wouldn't keep talking—it'd only make things worse.
"So? Are you going to accept it? I heard you've been training these past few days," the attention shifted back to Naruto.
Naruto remained silent, weighing several things in his mind. If he accepted, there might be some benefit in fighting Sasuke. But right now, Sasuke wasn't ready to show his full strength either.
"Alright," Naruto said, making Sasuke smile slightly.
"But not now." His follow-up wiped that smile away.
"Why not?" Sasuke pressed.
"Because it wouldn't be fun. I just started training... unlike you," Naruto replied casually.
"So how about after the graduation exam?" Naruto suggested.
Sasuke thought about it. The exam wasn't too far off, but not too soon either.
"And why then?" Sasuke asked again.
Ino was about to speak again, but Naruto didn't let her.
"This girl is so troublesome. And why does this guy keep asking 'why'..." Naruto thought.
"It's simple," Naruto said after a pause. "Because by then, we can both go all out."
Sasuke's eyes widened. A fire lit inside them. He felt his heart beat just a little faster.
"You..." His voice rose. "Hahaha, fine. I accept."
Sasuke slowly turned and walked back to his seat.
"Dobe, train as hard as you can. I'm looking forward to this."
He found the challenge exciting. Naruto's proposal had caught him off guard.
Naruto looked at his back and let out a small sigh.
"Well, at least I can breathe now," he thought.
Then he removed his hand from Ino's mouth.
"Fuahh!" Ino pushed his hand away.
"What the hell was that for, idiot!" she shouted.
Naruto tried to ignore her, but Ino pinched him.
"Ouch! Why do you always pinch me?" Naruto complained.
This girl, for some reason, always ended up pinching him.
"Why? Don't like it?" Ino snapped.
Naruto's nose twitched. "Of course I don't! What kind of lunatic wants to be pinched by a crazy girl like you..."
"You little...!" Ino was really mad this time, but she placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm down.
Arguing with Naruto was pointless.
"Ugh, whatever... but why did you turn down Sasuke's offer?" Ino asked.
Naruto glanced over and cleared his throat.
"Well, I just thought it'd be pointless to do it now. So I promised him a fight later."
"Ha, you're just making excuses. Just admit you're scared," Ino teased.
"You're wrong! I'm not scared at all. I told you it'd be pointless—"
"Blah blah blah... you're just bluffing," Ino cut him off.
Until—
"Ahh!" Ino suddenly yelped and stood up. She was both embarrassed and angry.
"Naruto! You pervert! How dare you do that!" she screamed.
Naruto snorted. "You always do it, but I can't?"
Yes, Naruto had pinched under Ino's armpit, and her reaction was extreme.
"Pervert! Degenerate! Uneducated! Morally bankrupt!" Ino kept shouting new insults.
And just like that, the two were back to arguing.
From the front row, Hinata watched everything, her heart aching a little. Her throat felt tight, and her breathing grew shallow.
"No... no way, Naruto-kun..." Hinata began to think the worst, but quickly shook her head to drive it away.
Meanwhile, the rest of the class was still buzzing. Even though the fight didn't happen today, Naruto's promise of a future match only made things more exciting.
Kiba woke up from the noise and turned to Shikamaru.
"Huh? What happened while I was sleeping?"
Shikamaru just shrugged. "I don't know, just another troublesome situation," he said, then went back to daydreaming.
Kiba looked at Chouji, who decided to explain.
"Damn it! Why did Sasuke challenge him? I'm way stronger!" Kiba slammed the desk, frustrated by what he heard.
Chouji gave him a glance, then ignored him. He figured his chips were more important.
Eventually, Iruka arrived and put an end to the commotion.
________________________________________
Give me positive reviews so that I will be motivated :3
________________________________________