The Skirt that Opens Eyes
Haku supported Zabuza as they staggered away into the mist, leaving the battlefield behind. Sakura, meanwhile, stood frozen, her face slightly flushed. Despite this being a love between two men, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable with the height difference between Haku and Zabuza, especially after witnessing Haku kiss Zabuza on the cheek. Her mind swirled with confusion and embarrassment, as she struggled to wrap her head around the forbidden nature of their relationship.
Between two men... there shouldn't be children, right? Sakura thought, her face heating up as the idea solidified in her mind.
"I... I don't understand," Sakura murmured, trying to process her feelings.
Kakashi, noticing her confusion, returned to his usual laid-back demeanor and spoke in a neutral tone, "It's nothing. This kind of thing isn't uncommon in the ninja world. It's said that in Yū—"
Naruto: "???"
Wait, what? Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage were really... together?? Naruto's mind raced as he pieced together Kakashi's words, alarmed by the implications.
Sasuke, having sensed the subtle tension in Kakashi's voice, paused in his cleaning of the newly acquired beheading sword and looked up, puzzled.
Kakashi quickly realized his slip, especially with Sasuke being right there. He decided it was best to stop talking before tarnishing the image of Sasuke's ancestors.
Sakura, her curiosity piqued, put on her Eight Trigrams look as she thought about Haku and Zabuza again. Then she glanced at Sasuke and Naruto, her expression suddenly freezing as her face turned pale. She quickly grabbed Naruto by the arm, her face filled with mysterious concern.
"Brother Ying, what are you doing?"
"Don't call me that—Oh, forget it," Naruto sighed, realizing there was no point in correcting her. She wouldn't listen anyway.
"Listen, Naruto," Sakura whispered, "you've already got Hinata... You understand what I'm getting at, right?" She continued to wink at Naruto, her intentions unclear but full of implication.
Naruto: "???"
Naruto's face twisted in confusion as he looked at Sakura. What's with the certainty in her voice? No wonder Sasuke's not interested in her at all right now, he thought.
After a long, awkward pause, Naruto pointed at the beheading sword in Sasuke's hand. "I think you need to consider why that sword is more attractive to him than you are."
"I... I won't always be like this!!!" Sakura stammered, looking down at herself. Then she glanced over at Sasuke, who was still preoccupied with the sword, and secretly encouraged herself. Everything will get better!
"Let's just focus on getting the client home. Our mission should be complete after that," Kakashi said, reaching into his ninja tool bag. When his hand brushed against his book, he suddenly lost the urge to read and instead sipped his tea.
The three young ninjas nodded in agreement and began following Dazna back to his home. Dazna's mood was conflicted, but no one paid much attention to him. For the members of Team 7, once they got him home safely, their mission would be over, and they could think about what to do next.
That evening, they shared a meal at Dazna's house, and later, Naruto used his abilities to construct a three-story villa on the edge of the forest as a temporary residence for the team.
Kakashi and Sakura exchanged bewildered looks. "Which ninja has a swimming pool in their temporary residence?" Sakura asked, incredulous. "And it's only for one night… This feels so wrong!"
"Ahhh..." Kakashi sighed contentedly as he sipped his tea, feeling all the day's fatigue melt away. Glancing at his students, he suggested, "Why don't we do some training here while we're at it?"
"Sure," Sasuke replied, barely looking up from his book, where he was deeply engrossed in the story of Xiao Yan and his three thousand thunder movements. The concepts were starting to click with him, especially since both he and Xiao Yan shared similar chakra attributes—Thunder and Fire.
This guy is basically me! Sasuke thought with a smirk. I've found my path to power!
He could already imagine himself surpassing his brother, Uchiha Itachi. Just wait, Itachi. I, Uchiha Sasuke, will bring you down!
But as Sasuke read on, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Naruto, can you make me a black robe?"
Naruto stared at him, dumbfounded. By the Sage, he really wants to become Uchiha Xiao Yan!
"Sasuke... I think you should read less of this book," Naruto suggested, concern lacing his voice. "Everything in it is fictional."
Naruto felt a twinge of regret for showing Sasuke the book in the first place. I should've known better... Sasuke's at the perfect age for this kind of thing to really mess with his head.