Chapter 2
Of course, Naruto wasn't going to stand around waiting two hours for the system. He quickly caught up to Sakyo's footsteps, following the river until they passed through a large gate and entered the Uchiha compound.
The Uchiha compound used to be bustling with people, and outsiders were strictly forbidden. But now, with Sakyo as the only surviving Uchiha, Naruto wasn't sure if that rule still applied—and even if it did, it definitely didn't apply to him, Uzumaki Naruto. After all, he and Sakyo were best friends!
The brick-paved ground was overgrown with weeds sprouting from the cracks. The surrounding houses were covered in dust, many reduced to broken walls and ruins. Seeing one of Konoha's great clans reduced to this state was truly sigh-worthy.
Sakyo's house was quite large, and it didn't take long for Naruto to spot the distinctive building. He had even stayed there a few nights in the past~
When he reached the door, before he could enter, Sakyo walked out from inside. She was no longer disguised as a boy. A simple black outfit hugged her developing figure. If you looked closely, you could see a hint of embarrassment on her delicate, beautiful face.
For the first time in years, she was standing in front of someone without any concealment. This was the real Sakyo.
The name "Uchiha Sasuke" was nothing more than a fake identity she had created to hide her gender.
"What are you doing here? It's still early. You should go home."
Sakyo stood with her hands clasped behind her back, fingers tightly gripped where Naruto couldn't see. Though nervous inside, she appeared perfectly calm on the surface.
Seeing her try to send him away right away, Naruto replied helplessly but sincerely, "Sasuke, we're friends, right? You can tell me anything."
That earnest look and tone made Sakyo feel oddly unable to meet his eyes. But… since Naruto already knew her true gender, her priority now was making sure he didn't tell anyone.
With that in mind, she stepped aside slightly and said, "Come in and talk."
…
The room was spotless. Naruto and Sakyo sat facing each other across a low table.
"You're the first guest I've ever had here."
As she spoke, Sakyo poured him a cup of hot water. She hadn't had time to prepare tea—and honestly, she never expected anyone to visit.
Naruto studied the girl in front of him. She was beautiful, and her figure was… Uh…
Bang!
Catching his stare, Sakyo slammed the teapot down on the table and closed her eyes. "Well? What do you want to know?"
Naruto knew he was being rude, but that's just how he was—no one had ever taught him proper manners. Besides, Sakyo was his friend; there shouldn't be so many restrictions between them.
"Tell me everything you think you can."
Naruto picked up the hot water and took a sip.
Sakyo's gaze drifted downward, as if lost in thought.
Sakyo: "My name is Uchiha Sakyo."
Naruto: "Huh? Sasuke turned into Sas-kyo~ (¯﹃¯)"
Sakyo glared at him, cheeks burning with embarrassment and anger: "Hey! What's with that face?! (σ｀д′)σ!!!"
Naruto awkwardly wiped his mouth. He hadn't expected "Sasuke" to turn into such a stunning, captivating girl.
"It's probably because it's dinnertime," he explained. "Go on, Sas-kyo~"
"Get out." Sakyo stretched lazily. "I'm going to bed."
Naruto asked curiously, "Sas-kyo, aren't you going to eat or take a bath? And you only told me your name? After all these years of friendship, that's pretty cold!"
Sakyo shot him a disdainful look. "Didn't you say to tell you only the things 'I think I can tell you'?
That's all I've got."
How could she not know Naruto's personality by now? He was a full-blown pervert—teasing Hinata every day, even trying to set her up on dates with Sakura, his mind constantly in the gutter.
Just now, the way he looked at her—she didn't need to guess what he was thinking.
Normally, Naruto would tell her all sorts of dirty jokes, leaving her inwardly mortified while she had to pretend to be unfazed.
She was exhausted. Truly exhausted!
But maybe this was for the best. Now that her gender was exposed, Uzumaki Naruto would probably stop saying inappropriate things to her.
Perhaps… this was actually a good thing?
Naruto sighed. "Fine. I just never expected you to be a girl. All those times we went to the bathroom together, all the jokes I told you, all the times I encouraged you to go after Sakura—what were you thinking?!"
Sakyo expressionlessly backed up two steps, putting distance between her and this dangerous individual.
She didn't want to answer that question. She couldn't.
Who knows how she had managed to keep it hidden all this time!
If Naruto hadn't accidentally grabbed her during training, she might have kept the secret much longer!
"Sakyo, why are you running? I'm not gonna eat you."
"Don't you know me by now? Do I seem like a bad guy?"
Naruto stood up and slowly closed the distance, even making a cheap grabbing motion with one hand—as if that incredible softness still lingered on his fingertips.
Sakyo's face went pale with fright.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Out of habit, she reached for her ninja tool pouch—only to remember her earlier stupid decision.
For the sake of "looking good," she hadn't brought it.
Damn it. It was just Uzumaki Naruto—why had she cared about appearances and left her tools behind?
Naruto stepped closer and closer until they were mere inches apart.
He could even hear her heartbeat and breathing.
Sakyo swallowed hard and forced out, "Don't tell anyone about this."
Naruto gently wrapped an arm around her slender waist and looked into her eyes seriously. "Of course I won't. If I did, I'd have way more love rivals."
He could clearly feel her body stiffen the instant they touched.
Sakyo's beautiful eyes widened. She took a deep breath but was too nervous to exhale properly. "Uzumaki Naruto, I'm warning you…"
"You know you can't stop me~"
Naruto cut her off. "I just realized—we're actually perfect for each other, Uchiha Sa… kyo~"
"Sakura? Hinata? Tsunade? Yuhi Kurenai? Konan… screw them all~"
Sakyo was stunned. Naruto had just rattled off dozens of names—what the heck was that about?!
In disbelief, she asked, "Who are all those people?!
And you said…"
Remembering his words, she couldn't help feeling nervous.
She and Hinata were really close. Spending so much time together, and with no one treating her like a girl, all her emotions had been suppressed. She was still a relatively normal teenage girl deep down.
Her teeth were practically chattering. Guiltily, she asked, "What about Hinata?"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "What about her? Only kids make choices…"