Hearing Riku's complaint, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Showing off again. We barely get to take on A-rank missions, and you've already done several S-rank ones. And you still complain? You're the worst."
Riku chuckled. "What? You think A-rank and S-rank missions are easy? They take a lot of time and effort, too."
"Hmph. Still showing off," Sakura muttered, crossing her arms.
Watching her, Riku had a strange sense of déjà vu. Something about her reminded him of someone.
Ah—Naruto.
"You're starting to act like Naruto," Riku said with a smirk.
Sakura immediately bristled. "Who's like that idiot?!"
Yup. Just like Naruto.
Both of them had this frustrating habit of thinking everyone else was dumb—except for the people they personally acknowledged.
Honestly, Riku thought it would be weirder if the two of them didn't end up together someday.
He smiled. "Alright, let's call it a night. We're heading out to chase down Gaara tomorrow. Your antidote might come in handy."
"You really don't want to take one with you?" she asked again.
Riku shook his head.
Sakura grinned. "Then I'll keep both for myself."
Riku nodded, clearly unconcerned.
In truth, he didn't plan to participate in tomorrow's battle unless absolutely necessary.
He already knew how it would end. His presence here was more of a precaution—just in case something changed.
That was the thing. Riku worried that even minor deviations in events could have major consequences.
And if something did go wrong, Sakura and the others might not be able to handle it alone.
The two of them talked in the room for a while longer. Eventually, at Riku's gentle urging, Sakura got up and reluctantly left.
She hadn't realized it before, but chatting with Riku was actually… enjoyable.
As she walked back to her room, a sudden memory surfaced—back during the mission to the Land of Waves, Riku had accidentally seen her completely exposed.
She blushed furiously.
Back then, she'd been only twelve. Although she'd been mortified, Riku had never brought it up again, so the incident had faded from memory.
But now, at sixteen, thinking about it again made her heart race with embarrassment.
Recalling their conversation just now, she felt as though she'd been completely seen through by him.
"Surely he forgot about that… right?"
She could only hope Riku didn't remember. If he did, it would be too humiliating. Every time she looked at him, it would feel like he could see right through her.
As she reached her own room, she noticed someone waiting by the door.
"...Naruto?"
Naruto turned around quickly. "Oh, Sakura. I came to find you earlier and saw you were in Riku's room. Didn't expect you two to talk that long."
He glanced at her flushed face and frowned slightly.
Something about her expression made him uneasy.
They'd been in that room for a long time—just the two of them.
Naruto wasn't stupid. Riku and Sakura were both sixteen. Adolescents. Hormonal.
If it had been Riku and Tsunade in that room, he wouldn't have batted an eye. He knew how old Tsunade was.
But this… this was different.
"What's with that look on your face?" Sakura asked casually.
"Nothing," Naruto said, hesitating. "I just wanted to talk to you about Sasuke."
Over the past three years, Naruto had done his best to search for Sasuke, but his intel-gathering abilities were... terrible.
He hadn't found a single trace of him.
Not even a location.
The moment Sasuke's name was mentioned, Sakura's expression turned serious.
She still had strong feelings for him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited three years.
"You found something?" she asked, eyes full of hope.
Naruto leaned against the wall, arms folded. "I haven't found his location, but… it's been three years. Orochimaru might be planning to take Sasuke's body soon."
"Once we bring Gaara back, I want to ask Granny Tsunade to let me go look for him."
Sakura was stunned. "You want to go search for Sasuke? But if you have no clue where he is… how will you find him?"
She wanted to look for Sasuke too—but for the past three years, she'd stayed in Konoha, with no leads.
Naruto grinned. "Orochimaru used to be part of the Akatsuki, right? And the guys we're chasing tomorrow are with Akatsuki. If we can dig up any info on Orochimaru from them… then we might find Sasuke too."
Sakura nodded. "That's… a good idea."
Thinking of Riku, she smiled softly. "If we really manage to defeat them, then maybe we'll get something. The whereabouts of Orochimaru… and Sasuke."
Naruto nodded. But his gaze returned to her again, his brows furrowed.
"…Your face is still really red."
Sakura blinked. "Huh?"
"Riku's great and all, but Sakura, I don't think he's right for you. Some things… you shouldn't do on a whim. You'll regret it."
Sakura stared at him, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
Naruto hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, but forced himself to speak.
"I was keeping track. You were in Riku's room for, like, three hours. When you came out, you looked flustered—your face all red. Anyone with half a brain would think something… happened."
He trailed off awkwardly.
Naruto wasn't clueless about these things. After all, he'd once helped Jiraiya draft a few chapters for his Icha Icha sequel.
He wasn't like Minato, who just smiled at pretty women from afar.
Naruto had been exposed to adult topics early on.
Still, that didn't mean he was okay with this.
He didn't think Riku was a good match for Sakura.
Riku was too perfect—handsome, powerful, admired by many—and yet after all this time, he hadn't gotten close to anyone.
Too many girls liked him.
In Naruto's eyes, it was like Riku was keeping a harem of admirers at arm's length.
He didn't realize that Riku already had someone he loved.
And even if he had, he would've never guessed who it was.
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