Chapter 26: Ino Feels Unbalanced, Competing with Sakura for Naruto

"Naruto-kun, breakfast is ready."

Early the next morning, Sakura had already woken up and prepared breakfast. She patiently waited for Naruto to get up, serving him while he washed up and then eating together.

Sakura had stayed over at his house the night before.

Naruto had sent a shadow clone to deliver a message to her family, telling them that she was attending a friend's birthday party and wouldn't be coming home due to the late hour. Since Sakura's family were ordinary civilians, her parents might have had some concerns, but they weren't likely to make a big deal out of it.

As for the physical toll last night had taken on her, the damage was already healed thanks to the Nine-Tails' chakra.

To Naruto's surprise, when he woke up, Sakura no longer had fear in her eyes. Instead, she looked at him with a deep affection, as if she had fully submitted, her demeanor soft and caring.

"I know Naruto loves me!"

When Naruto asked her why she was acting this way, Sakura blushed and replied, "What you did last night... it was because you were afraid of losing me, wasn't it? You just wanted to keep me by your side, right?"

"Though your methods were a bit... rough, the feeling wasn't all that bad…"

Naruto was momentarily stunned by her response.

Wait, could it be? Is Sakura an M?

"You've never really cared much for me before, have you?" Naruto wasn't doubting her words, but the sudden change was a bit too quick for him to process.

Yesterday, Sakura's submission was purely out of fear of disobedience. Naruto had originally planned to keep pushing, ensuring that she would fully break from within, eventually becoming his obedient slave. But to his shock, after just one night, she seemed completely transformed, as if hit by some kind of brainwashing technique like Kotoamatsukami.

Not only was she no longer resisting him, but she was behaving like a doting little wife.

Naruto was certain he hadn't done anything to manipulate her mind. In fact, he had been looking forward to enjoying the process of gradually breaking her spirit, savoring the mixture of revenge and training. He hadn't planned for it to end so soon.

"I was just too naïve before," Sakura said, shyly. "If you think about it, Naruto-kun is actually more handsome than Sasuke. Especially the way you were last night—it was so... manly."

"Besides, since things have already progressed this far, I'll do my best to be the woman I'm meant to be."

Naruto stared into her eyes and saw that Sakura was speaking from the heart. Her face, though flushed with embarrassment, also carried a hint of happiness and hope for the future.

Well, there it was—she was definitely an M.

No wonder, Naruto thought. In the original story, no matter how much I groveled for her affection, all I got in return was her wanting to compete with Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, constantly ignored her, even going so far as to try and kill her, yet she clung to him like glue.

I always thought she was just messed up, but now I see—this is how Sakura operates!

Love is in the kicks and the punches. The stronger the pushback, the deeper the affection?

What Naruto didn't realize was that while Sakura's submissiveness was partly due to his forceful actions, the real reason was something deeper—the Asura buff had kicked in.

Naruto's unwavering determination, his refusal to give up on her, even if it meant using force, made Sakura feel loved in a way she had never known. His relentless spirit touched her deeply, making her feel drawn to stay by his side and walk this path together.

And since they had already shared such an intimate bond, accepting it just felt natural.

After breakfast, the two of them set off for the academy, with Sakura carrying a lovingly prepared bento box for lunch and holding onto Naruto's arm.

"Whoa, whoa, what's this?"

As they passed the Yamanaka Flower Shop, they ran into Ino, who was also on her way to school. Seeing the two of them so close, she was visibly shocked.

Sakura smiled and greeted her, "As you can see, I'm with Naruto-kun now. Sasuke is all yours, Ino."

"What?!" Ino's face twisted in disbelief. "You're serious?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You bet. I wouldn't joke about something like this!"

To prove her point, Sakura leaned in and gave Naruto a kiss on the lips, leaving Ino completely speechless.

Ino had noticed Sakura's recent attention on Naruto, but she never expected things to take such a drastic turn. Could this really be happening?

"You've got to be kidding me, Forehead Girl!" Ino shouted, refusing to accept it. "You think I need you to hand Sasuke over to me? Please! I bet you just knew you'd lose to me and decided to back out first."

"Don't call me that in front of Naruto-kun, Pig!" Sakura puffed up her cheeks, then added challengingly, "If you think that's the case, why don't you try to take Naruto from me? If you think you can!"

Naruto had been chasing after her for years, and just last night, they had taken their relationship to the next level. Sakura was confident—this was her trump card. She wasn't worried at all.

Sakura had always been the clever one.

Ino, on the other hand, scoffed. She might have been interested in competing for Sasuke, but Naruto? Come on…

Though she had never looked down on Naruto, she hadn't paid him much attention either. He was always at the bottom of the class, constantly causing trouble. What girl would seriously consider him?

But recently... Naruto had changed. He wasn't the same goofball he used to be. His new look and demeanor were much more... attractive.

Wait a second—was Naruto actually handsome?

Suddenly, Ino felt a pang of jealousy. How had she never noticed this before?

"Well then!"

Much to Sakura's surprise, Ino rushed over and grabbed Naruto's other arm, smirking as she said, "Looks like we're rivals again. You're not going to back out after saying all that, right, Forehead Girl?"

"What did you say, Pig?! I'm not backing down, even if you do!"

There was no way Sakura would admit defeat to Ino, not in front of Naruto. Even if she wanted to retreat, her pride wouldn't let her.

Besides, she was sure Ino didn't really care about Naruto. She was just doing this for the sake of competition, just like Sakura had done with Sasuke in the past.

As the two girls glared at each other, sparks practically flying between them, Naruto wisely kept quiet, enjoying the rare feeling of being at the center of attention.

Why interrupt now? There was no need to risk losing everything. Better to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Though, he had to admit, as much as he was enjoying the situation, these were still young girls. The experience wasn't quite the same as it would be with a more mature woman.

Still, Naruto didn't mind. With the two girls clinging to him and the envious stares of passersby, he savored every moment as they made their way to the academy.