Chapter 430 - Because I'm Handsome
Inside one of Konoha's many bars sat a woman with pink hair and an absentminded expression. Despite the festive atmosphere around her, her mood was somewhat sour. This woman was Sakura Haruno, who spent the last three years training as hard as she could to bring Sasuke back to Konoha just for him to return on his own.
Obviously, she was not complaining that her wish was fulfilled, but she couldn't help but feel useless since she wasn't involved in his return in the slightest.
"HAHAHA!!! DRINK!!! DRINK!!! DRINK!!!"
Sakura looked at the source of the loud voice and could only shake her head when she saw Tsunade getting wasted together with a bunch of Uzumaki's
Since she was Tsunade's disciple, she had more information about what was going on in the village than most people, so she knew precisely why Tsunade was in such a good mood recently. She planned to prop Sasuke, of all people, up as the next Hokage. Sakura really didn't know whether she should laugh or cry about the Hokage position becoming such a hot potato.
"Yo, Sakura, fancy meeting you here."
While Sakura was deep in thought, a hand landed on her shoulder, while a friendly voice greeted her. Sakura turned her head to the side and saw Ino sitting down next to her, closely followed by Naruto and Haku.
"It's been a while, Ino, Naruto, and Haku."
While Ino and Sakura were attending the shinobi academy, their friendship broke apart due to their shared crush on Sasuke. That did not change even after Ino stopped chasing after him because she tried to convince Sakura to stop chasing after Sasuke as well, which Sakura interpreted as her obstructing her love.
However, after Sakura realized that building her shinobi career on the mindset that Sasuke would just protect her the whole time was not a good idea, the duo rekindled their friendship.
"What's wrong, Sakura? You don't look too good? Is it about Sasuke, again?"
A heavy sigh escaped Sakura's mouth when she heard Ino's question.
"Yeah, I simply don't know what to do. All these years I did my best to bring him back, and now he just returns like nothing happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that he is back, but I feel like all the effort I put into getting stronger became pretty much useless. Additionally, I have no idea how to face or approach him."
Ino shook her head while an annoyed scowl appeared on her face.
"So it's really because of him, huh? How annoying. You want me to knock him out so you can have your way with him?"
"I-INO!!!"
"Hahaha, just joking, just joking."
However, Sakura felt like she wasn't entirely joking. She glanced at Naruto, who could only roll his eyes at Sakura's questioning gaze.
"Well, Ino's outrageous joke, that definitely was just a joke and nothing else aside, I wouldn't say your efforts to get stronger were useless. After all, you got stronger! As shinobi, having more strength is never a bad thing, so rather than doubt your achievements, you should be proud of them."
Sakura was stunned by Naruto's words, and moments later, a happy smile appeared on her face.
"What you, Naruto. You are really kind."
Hearing Sakura praise her boyfriend, Ino proudly puffed out her chest like she was the one being praised.
"That right, Naruto is the kindest. Honestly, I don't understand why you are still going after Sasuke. I admit that he has a good face, but that is honestly all he has going for him. His stuck-up and arrogant behavior would start to bother me rather quickly if I were dating him."
An unhappy expression appeared on Sakura's face when she heard Ino talking badly about Sasuke. However, she could certainly see what she meant. Sasuke always had a frown on his face and seemed to look down on everyone around him. Well, she hadn't met him for over three years, but from what she heard, he was still like that.
She glanced at Naruto and couldn't help but compare him to Sasuke. Naruto was always smiling and tried to make the people around him smile as well. Despite being Konoha's second strongest, he was never arrogant, treated everyone equally well, and never looked down on people. He was pretty much the exact opposite of Sasuke.
Ino's eyes sharpened when she saw Sakura looking at Naruto in a daze and immediately blocked her line of sight.
"You can't have Naruto! He is mine! Well, Haku's and mine, but you get the point!"
Due to Ino's sudden switch of mood, Sakura was taken aback but couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Don't worry, Ino. I have no interest in a relationship with Naruto. I was just looking at him because I realized that his personality seemed to be the complete opposite of Sasuke."
This time, it was Ino's turn to be surprised, and after thinking about Sakura's claim for a short moment, she nodded her head in agreement.
"That's true, I guess. So, has that realization finally managed to give up on Sasuke?"
Sakura could only shake her head when she heard Ino's question.
"No. I knew how Sasuke was from the start. My heart won't be swayed so easily. I love him, and I will make him love me as well!"
Ino could only sigh in defeat when she heard Sakura's words. As her friend, she didn't want Sakura to chase after such an unhealthy crush. No matter how she looked at it, she didn't think that Sasuke would be a good boyfriend, but it seems that Sakura was hellbent on chasing after him anyway. Before Ino could say anything else, Naruto opened his mouth.
"You previously said you don't know how to face him, Sakura, but isn't that pretty easy? You should face him directly and tell him your feelings. I don't think Sasuke is capable of correctly interpreting any subtleties, so you should just be bold and direct about it. Stare him down and directly tell him your feelings. That's the only way to get a proper answer out of him."
"B-But what if he rejects me?"
Naruto snorted in disdain when he heard Sakura's doubts.
"You are quite insecure for someone who trained like crazy to meet your crush. Very well, let me give you some advice. The current Sasuke does not understand the word love properly. He has a very twisted image of love due to all the things that happened to him during his life…"
[You might as well add that he is crazy due to being an Uchiha.]
"… Anyway, you need to show him what real love is. Be persistent but not overbearing. Be as stubborn as you were in your school days, but less annoying. Oh, and showing him that you aren't weak should earn you some points as well, so maybe ask him for a sparring match or something like that."
Sakura repeatedly nodded her head while Naruto was talking. She felt like he was giving her genuinely good advice, so she quickly memorized everything Naruto said while blushing a little when she remembered how she acted during her academy days.
"Thank you, Naruto; I will do my best."
"Sure, good luck, Sakura."
Moments later, Sakura stood up, said her farewells to Naruto, Ino, and Haku, and left the building.
"I'm impressed, Naruto; that was some pretty decent advice."
Naruto pouted when he heard Ino's words and hugged Haku.
"Haku~ Ino is making fun of me."
Haku started petting Naruto's head while a bit of laughter escaped her mouth, causing Ino to roll her eyes.
"Fine, fine, you are really great, Naruto."
Naruto's good mood immediately returned as he stopped hugging Haku and arrogantly lifted his head.
"That's right; this young master is really great."
Ino and Haku both facepalmed when they heard Naruto's words. Somehow, Yuna's behavior was slowly oozing into Naruto, which the duo wasn't happy within the slightest.
"Urg, why exactly did I fall in love with you again?"
"Hehe, because I'm handsome."
"You are spending too much time near Yuna."
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