Scene Twenty.
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Rage.
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#Naruto's Perspective
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I felt uneasy about Sasuke's strange behavior today, and now, when he said he wanted to go somewhere, I had to follow him and find out what was going on.
I didn't follow him immediately, but I found out from those who saw him where he had gone, and I headed there.
In one of the school hallways, I saw him walking with Sakura. Sakura was wearing Sasuke's jacket—that puzzled me.
"Sasuke, Sakura-chan, what happened??"
They both stopped to look at me, and when I looked at Sakura, my eyes widened in shock.
I rushed toward her and said, "Sakura-chan, what happened?? Is someone bullying you??"
Sakura lowered her head and nodded. I had feared something like this might happen, but it happened far quicker than I expected.
Why would anyone bully her??
"This happened because of you, Naruto."
I stopped thinking and turned to Sasuke with a bewildered expression. I felt something had changed in him suddenly... I hoped it was only my imagination.
"What do you mean by that??"
"This happened because you suddenly abandoned us and stopped hanging out with us. Rumors started to spread about our relationship," Sasuke said with a hint of hostility.
"Sasuke-kun... it's not Naruto's fault," Sakura quickly interjected to defend me, but Sasuke ignored her and kept glaring at me.
"Because you suddenly began avoiding us, everyone started saying Sakura was a flirt who dumped you to be with me, that she's trying to ruin our friendship. That's why you left and gave up on us," Sasuke continued, throwing accusation after accusation my way, leaving me stunned.
"B-but that's not what I—"
"What you were or weren't thinking doesn't matter. The rumors spread because of you, and Sakura was bullied and harassed by the students all because you suddenly stopped treating us like your friends."
I clenched my fists tightly and said, "Don't talk as if you know everything when you know nothing!!"
Why was he placing all the blame on me?? And who's really been ignoring who—was it me or him??
"Isn't that the reason??"
"Shut up, Sasuke!!"
My gaze grew sharper as sparks seemed to fly between us while we glared at each other.
"That's enough!!!"
Sakura screamed, her eyes brimming with tears. Both of us were taken aback and looked at her in shock.
"Stop fighting! This isn't how we were when we were kids!!"
She tore off Sasuke's jacket and handed it back to him in anger as her tears rolled down her cheeks.
"If I had known this would happen just because I relied on you two... I would've wished I never asked for your help in the first place."
After saying that, she turned and ran off.
Sasuke and I stood there, staring at her, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Because of our anger, Sakura was furious and left us. Neither of us could say a word to each other. I sighed sharply and said as I walked away:
"The worst sin is anger... don't let that sin rot your heart."
After I left, Sasuke remained standing there for a while before walking off too.
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Scene Twenty.
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Rage (End)
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That evening, I wandered near the Uzumaki Clan's district. Since what happened earlier, I hadn't spoken to Sasuke or Sakura.
I sighed, reflecting deeply on what had occurred.
Maybe distancing myself really did lead to all of this??
But still, Sasuke didn't have to be so harsh—even if it was for Sakura.
I saw a girl with crimson hair walking in front of me. Could it be Immoral Scarlet??
"Scarlet..."
I called out slowly, which made her a little surprised.
Looking closely, she wasn't wearing her mask.
My eyes sparkled with anticipation—this was my chance to see who Immoral Scarlet really was!!
I sprinted as fast as I could, shouting, "Who could possibly be under that mask??"
Just as I got close, she turned around swiftly, catching me off guard.
I tripped and fell face-first as Scarlet pulled out her mask and wore it again with a triumphant smile.
"Haha! Even after a thousand years, you'll never figure me out!"
I stood up in irritation and pouted. "Ugh, whatever. I'm not that desperate to know."
Scarlet chuckled slowly and said, "Then why do you look so gloomy??"
Remembering what happened with Sakura and Sasuke, I sighed slowly. Scarlet noticed and quickly said, "Since my place is nearby, want to come with me?"
"U-uh, sure." My cheeks flushed.
No girl had ever invited me to her place before. This is embarrassing!!
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We arrived at her room—Room 108 on the tenth floor of the hotel. She unlocked the door, and when I stepped inside, I was stunned.
Her room was a complete mess. I saw something that made me cover my face and blush fiercely.
"Hehehe, sorry, it's a bit messy," Scarlet said with a soft giggle.
"O-okay, but could you at least pick up your clothes scattered everywhere?" I stammered, face burning.
Scarlet's face went dark with shock. She looked down and realized her undergarments were thrown all over the place.
Her face flushed bright red, then she kicked me out and slammed the door, shouting, "Give me a moment!!"
"Owww, that hurt!" I yelled from the floor in frustration.
I sat down, holding my chest with my eyes closed. Is this chaotic girl really an up-and-coming famous singer??
Isn't she worried someone might secretly film her and expose this side of her??
It could totally happen, and that's unforgivable. But the world is cruel like that.
After a few minutes, I heard the door open and Scarlet's voice say, "You can come in now."
I stood up and said, "Alright, I'm coming."
When I stepped in, the room was a lot more organized. Still a little messy, but no longer like some shut-in's lair.
I chuckled to myself wryly. That's how my room looked in my previous life too... feels like I just insulted myself.
Scarlet sat on the bed while I sat on the floor, and we stared at each other for a while.
She looked down and opened her mouth as if to say something. I braced myself—it felt important from the way she acted.
"You're not planning to assault me just because we're alone, right?"
"Stop harassing me or I'll report you!!"
I snapped at her joke—ugh, this girl has zero shame.
"Anyway, tell me what happened," she said, shifting to a serious tone behind her mask.
"Well, here's what happened..."
I spent some time explaining my feelings toward Sakura, Sasuke and Sakura's new relationship, the bullying... everything I knew, even though I didn't have the full picture.
Scarlet listened thoughtfully, placing a hand under her chin.
"Don't you think your friend is trying to get rid of you to have Sakura all to himself? He seems like he wants to lock her inside his own world."
"Lock her in his world...?"
"Let's say that girl is a butterfly flying freely in a field, but the entire field belongs to your friend. If she tries to leave, her wings will be clipped and she'll be forced back in."
I started to understand what she meant. I looked at her and calmly said, "In other words, he's possessive."
"I'm amazed you know things like that at your age."
"Who are you calling a kid?? I'm fifteen!!"
"You're still a child to me," Scarlet smiled and walked closer, surprising me a bit.
She leaned her face toward mine, and sweat began dripping from my forehead. I leaned back instinctively.
When I looked down slightly, I saw a glimpse of her undergarments and quickly shut my eyes in embarrassment, turning away.
"In other words, even if you were thirty, you'd still be a child."
Scarlet pulled away and laughed. "See? You can't even handle a girl getting close to you."
She paused and added in a softer tone, "There's no way you could handle something like love with that tiny heart of yours."
I didn't quite understand what Scarlet meant, but she wasn't wrong. I might've lived two lives... yet I still felt like a little kid around this girl.
Just who is this mysterious girl? Scarlet, who are you?
"We got a bit off-topic... Anyway, things are still salvageable between you and your two friends. Go talk to him. That's the best way for you two to open up to each other."
"Got it. Thank you, Scarlet." I stood quietly, looking at her with sincere gratitude.
"Heh, no need to thank me, dear little Naruto-kun," Scarlet smiled, returning to her usual playful self.
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Scene Twenty-One
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Solving Problems with Fists.
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The next morning on my way to school, I saw Sakura walking alone.
I wanted to talk to her, but something told me I shouldn't.
So I let her be, following her from behind to make sure she didn't notice me.
At one of the crossroads, I bumped into someone.
We both fell, and as I raised my head, I saw it was Sasuke.
We stared at each other for a moment, then looked away.
I quickly stood up, remembering Sakura, and followed the path she took—and surprisingly, Sasuke followed behind me.
"Why are you following me??" I whispered angrily.
"I'm not! You're the one walking in my path!!" Sasuke snapped.
We kept walking, bickering the whole way. As we reached near the school and saw Sakura go inside, both of us sighed.
"Wait—you were following Sakura/-chan!!"
We both shouted, pointing at each other at the same time.
"Stay away from Sakura!!"
"Sakura-chan isn't yours alone!!"
We glared at each other and grabbed each other's collars angrily.
Just then, we heard footsteps.
"You're Sasuke Uchiha, right??"
We turned to see a group of four older guys, probably around eighteen. What do they want with Sasuke??
"What do you want from me?"
"Come with us—we just want to talk..."
From their tone, this was definitely bad news.
I stepped in and said, "There's nothing to talk about with Sasuke. Leave."
"Oho, what a brave little guy. You're scaring me," the leader of the group said mockingly, and the others laughed with him.
Sasuke and I exchanged a glance.
BAM.
Suddenly, the leader punched me in the gut hard. I collapsed to my knees, coughing in pain.
"Naruto!!" Sasuke yelled, then launched a punch at the leader's face, pushing him back.
"You little brat! Beat them up!!"
One of the three stepped forward and punched Sasuke. He was about to throw a second punch, but I kicked him hard in the stomach.
"Hey... hey... you bastards!!"
I shouted in rage as I slowly stood. The pain from the punch still throbbed, but I pushed through.
"You'll regret this!!" the leader shouted, and the brawl broke out between us and the four of them!
"Ugh... man, we got beat to hell," I said, my face swollen, one eye puffed shut, as I looked at Sasuke.
"Even talking hurts. Don't bother me," Sasuke muttered. He wasn't any better—his face was also bruised, a cut on his right cheek.
We were both on the ground—but the other four were in even worse shape.
We got up, and the guys sat there, clearly regretful.
"We're sorry, Naruto-sama, Sasuke-sama... It was Sasha's idea."
"Sasha??"
I asked slowly.
"She's the one who told me to teach you a lesson yesterday."
"I figured."
"What even happened yesterday??"
"I'll explain later."
Sasuke closed his eyes and said calmly, "Leave now. And don't come back."
"We wouldn't dare, Sasuke-sama!!" Then they fled like scared rats.
"Man, I can't believe a middle school girl is behind stuff like this... Isn't this the kind of drama you see in high school?"
"Who said it's limited to high school?"
"Well, most stories usually go that way."
After I said that, Sasuke glanced at me indifferently, then sighed. "Don't act like you can predict everything."
"Hehehe, it's a habit of mine." I scratched my head and laughed.
"Owww." A moment later, I groaned—I think a bone broke in there.
"We should see a doctor."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."
"Yeah."
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Scene Twenty-One
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Solving Problems with Fists (End)
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We entered the classroom looking like wrecks. Sakura saw us and looked startled before slowly approaching us in concern.
"What happened to you two?? Did you fight again??"
"No, no, it's not like that!"
I waved nervously, trying to explain.
"We ran into some bad guys and gave them a good beating," Sasuke said with a gentle smile.
Sakura smiled in relief and hugged us both tightly at once.
We were both surprised, our faces turning red.
"Thank goodness you're okay... Naruto, Sasuke-kun."
We smiled softly and returned the hug.
"Yeah."
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To Be Continued.