Listening to the noise coming from the room,
Haruno Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That's one of our employers. He's such an unruly guy—sometimes he's really annoying."
Of course, Naruto already knew about the princess named Fūnha Koyuki.
He didn't care much though. He wasn't here for the mission — he just wanted to find some enemies for Karin to train against, collect a few evil souls, and maybe settle down for a bit in the Land of Snow.
The environment here wasn't great, but the country's technology was impressive.
More importantly, it was remote — few ninja ever came here.
A quiet place was perfect for him.
When Jiraiya stepped out and saw Naruto, he was momentarily stunned.
He felt something… indescribable emanating from Naruto.
It was like—
The same pressure he once felt facing Hanzo of the Salamander.
No wonder this kid refused to be his student.
With power this mysterious and overwhelming, Jiraiya could understand why Naruto didn't want to waste time "playing ninja" under an old man's supervision.
The other white-haired man was, of course, Hatake Kakashi.
Kakashi, with his usual half-dead eyes, raised a hand lazily in greeting.
"Yo, Naruto. Planning to come back to Konoha anytime soon?"
Sakura perked up immediately, her expression full of concern. She grabbed Naruto's hand tightly.
"Yeah, Naruto! Please come back. Konoha's so boring without you around."
Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm not planning to return for now."
"Oh…" Kakashi exhaled, sounding neither surprised nor disappointed. He knew nothing he said would change Naruto's mind — and he couldn't exactly drag him back by force.
Sakura, however, looked a little dejected.
Then she noticed Karin, who was holding onto Naruto's arm just as tightly as she was.
The red-haired woman… the one Naruto had saved before.
Sakura tilted her head, studying Karin carefully — something about her felt different.
"Wait… aren't you the red-haired kunoichi who showed up during the Chūnin Exams?" Sakura asked curiously, walking closer and looking Karin up and down.
Karin blinked, clearly caught off guard. She didn't really know Sakura that well.
"Yeah," she replied cautiously. "We've met before."
Her tone made it clear: We're not exactly close — so don't get too friendly.
But Sakura, oblivious to the hint, just stared at her in amazement.
Her skin looked… flawless.
Smooth, pale, and glowing — far better than when they'd last met.
Sakura reached out and touched Karin's cheek in disbelief. The texture was soft and delicate — not even a single pore visible.
Karin instantly tensed up, startled by the sudden contact.
She stepped back in alarm. "W-What are you doing?"
Sakura squinted suspiciously, touching her chin like a detective. "I remember your skin wasn't this good before… Did you start using some kind of miracle beauty product?"
"What beauty product?" Karin blinked, confused.
Sakura leaned closer, eyes sparkling. "Don't play dumb! I knew it! Your skin's way too good! Come on, share it with me, sister~"
She even started acting coquettishly toward Karin.
Karin just looked more and more lost. "I… I really didn't use anything!"
Sakura pouted. "Come on, just tell me what you've been putting on your face!"
Karin frowned, thinking seriously.
After a moment, her gaze shifted to Naruto, who was chatting idly with Sasuke nearby.
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
Sakura froze.
"???"
Then, being Sakura — and therefore not the most innocent mind in the world — realization struck her like lightning.
Her eyes widened.
"You—you—you! You actually… You did that with Naruto?!"
Karin panicked, flustered. "W-We didn't 'do that'! I mean—we're together! N-No! That's not it! We're consensual! Wait—no, that sounds worse!"
Sakura's jaw dropped. "Nani?! How could you?! I mean— I knew Naruto before you even showed up!"
Karin tilted her head calmly. "Maybe Naruto-kun just doesn't like you?"
That one hit right in the ego.
Sakura's temper flared instantly. "What did you just say?! You're talking nonsense!"
"I'm Naruto-kun's secretary! We founded a company together, we made money together! Back then, you didn't even know him!" Sakura crossed her arms proudly, then smirked. "You know the saying: if there's work, the secretary does it; if not—"
She suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing what she was about to imply.
It wasn't true anyway.
Karin, however, wasn't the type to stay quiet when provoked.
Being doubted and insulted by Sakura repeatedly ticked her off.
She snorted softly, crossing her arms and puffing out her chest. "Hmph. Don't get too confident."
That only enraged Sakura more. "You hateful woman! Don't be so smug! Naruto would never fall for someone with such a bad attitude!"
"Oh?" Karin raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Then how do you explain the fact that I managed to seduce him eighteen times in one day?"
"What?!" Sakura's brain froze. She could practically see her imagination running wild.
But Karin didn't stop there. She stepped right up to Sakura — face to face, toe to toe — close enough that their chests bumped slightly.
Only… Karin's was a bit closer to Naruto's line of sight than Sakura's.
Sakura noticed immediately, her face turning red with a mix of fury and humiliation.
Karin put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Well? Looks like I win."
"That's only because you're older than me!" Sakura snapped defensively.
"Exactly," Karin said smoothly.
"I meant in age!" Sakura shouted.
Karin smirked. "Oh? I don't understand what you mean."
"AHHH!" Sakura screamed, losing all composure. She lunged at Karin like a wild animal.
Then there was a flash of gold—
Boom!
Thud!
Sakura found herself lying flat on the deck, staring blankly at the sky.
"What… just happened?"
"Why am I on the ground?"
"My head's spinning…"
That night.
Sakura slowly regained consciousness. The first thing she saw was Karin sitting beside her, smiling faintly.
"You're awake," Karin said gently.
Sakura rubbed her temples. Her head throbbed as she muttered, "I think I had the strangest dream… We were fighting over something stupid."
Karin smiled sweetly. "Little girl, that wasn't a dream~"
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