The silver moon hung in the sky, the night deep and dark.
Naruto sneaked back into the village under cover of darkness.
Following the map Hattori gave him, he arrived at the door of an ordinary residence.
It was Sakura's home.
The Haruno Family wasn't part of Konoha's noble clans, but they weren't commoners either.
A two or three-story house with a small enclosed yard…
That was the entirety of Sakura's home.
'Phew, once I fulfill this last wish, I can let go of everything and go to Ryuchi Cave to learn Senjutsu, right?'
Naruto took a deep breath, and then gently knocked on the door.
He knew in his heart that he was the dead-last, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki everyone feared.
The chance of Sakura liking him was less than one in ten thousand.
But even so, he still wanted to confess.
To hear those words of rejection spoken directly.
To sever his last beautiful thought about Konoha.
"Who is it? Knocking so late at night?"
Sakura's impatient voice came from inside the house.
"It's me."
Naruto looked towards the window, his expression calm.
"Huh? Naruto? Why are you knocking on my door so late? You're not... planning to do something bad, are you?"
Sakura quickly closed the window, her face full of wariness.
'Hah.'
'So this was how she saw me.'
Naruto laughed at himself mockingly.
He could withstand the mockery of outsiders, the neglect of adults.
But for his crush to trample on his dignity like this…
To say such heartless words…
Naruto's heart ached unbearably.
The nails of his right hand unconsciously dug into his palms, drawing blood.
"Sakura, I really have something very important to tell you. Please!"
However…
No matter what, he wanted an answer.
Naruto bowed deeply, his body bent at a ninety-degree angle.
"Naruto, you..."
Even with her low emotional intelligence, Sakura could tell something was off with Naruto's mood at this moment.
However, Haruno Sakura's first thought wasn't to sympathize with Naruto or agree to his request.
It was…
"If I refuse, will he suddenly go berserk and kill me?"
Sakura's face darkened as she muttered under her breath.
Her family had constantly filled her ears with tales of the terrifying Demon Fox.
Subconsciously, she was also a little afraid of Naruto.
"Alright, I'm coming down. But this is the only time. No matter what you say later, I won't agree again."
Sakura replied coldly.
"Okay."
Naruto nodded.
Half a minute later, Sakura, dressed in a red cheongsam, walked out the door, impatiently tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Let's go."
"Ah... ah?"
Naruto was a bit confused, 'We just needed to talk, did we have to hide to do it?'
"My parents are asleep. If they found out I was secretly talking to a boy, I'd get a serious scolding."
Sakura waved her hand irritably, her tone not lacking in disgust towards her parents.
"Oh, I see."
Naruto replied quietly.
Parents nagging, something so normal in other children's eyes, was a luxury for Naruto.
Perhaps… The real reason he liked Sakura was his envy of a happy family life.
The two of them, maintaining a distance of three to five meters, walked in silence to a park, one after the other.
Sakura stood under a tree, taking a step back.
A flash of disgust passed through her eyes as she said scornfully,
"Whatever you have to say, say it from there."
"I..."
The words caught in Naruto's throat.
He was momentarily speechless.
The moonlight was bright, his heart stirred.
The silver radiance fell on Sakura's smooth forehead, reflecting a soft light.
Sakura had always been insecure about her high forehead, thinking it looked odd.
But Naruto liked it very much.
Every time he saw that smooth forehead, it was like seeing hope in life.
So…
This time.
"Sakura, I like you! Can you spend your whole life with me?!"
The night breeze blew, rustling the leaves, tousling Sakura's pink hair.
"You..."
Naruto kept his head bowed.
His heart pounded wildly, he didn't dare look up.
Even though he had told himself countless times before confessing that the chance of success was minuscule, when the moment actually arrived, he still felt an inexplicable sense of hope.
'What if, she actually...'
"What are you saying? That's disgusting."
The icy words instantly dragged Naruto from his fervent fantasy back to cruel reality.
His dazed gaze stumbled towards the pink figure.
Sakura.
Haruno Sakura, his crush, now showed an expression as if looking at maggots, one of extreme revulsion.
"You called me out so late just to say this?"
"Seeing how you usually act, I thought you saying you liked me was a joke. I never expected you were serious."
"That's really disgusting."
Sakura's expression grew increasingly appalled.
She hugged her chest with her arms and instinctively took two steps back.
"No, just the thought of being liked by someone like you makes me sick. What did I even do wrong for you to latch onto me? Can I change it?"
Rip…
A sound, as if something was tearing, came from his chest.
A buzzing sound filled his ears.
His vision turned gray.
His usually agile body now felt as if filled with lead, unable to move.
"Sakura... you... originally... were so..."
Broken words were forced out with difficulty from between Naruto's gritted teeth.
He laughed.
A self-mocking laugh, a sarcastic laugh, an indifferent laugh.
He thought she was different from the others.
He thought there was a sliver of possibility for them to be together.
Now he saw it…
From beginning to end, it was all his own wishful thinking.
'The Group Owner Mister's words really hit the mark.'
'I was just a simp.'
'The world's number one simp, one who wouldn't let go until he was covered in blood.'