novelnext Chapter 612 Uchiha Satsuki Doesn't Want to Be NTR'd
Chapter 612 Uchiha Satsuki Doesn't Want to Be NTR'd
After that, Sasuke and Mai continued their...date?
Let's just call it a date. Mai ended up queuing up with Sasuke to buy ice cream.
The afternoon sun was so hot it made people's necks burn. The line in front of the dessert shop moved slowly. Sasuke stood in the line, and Mai stood next to him. She neither went away to find shade nor took out anything to pass the time. She just stood there quietly, accompanying him as he slowly moved forward from the end of the line.
But! Zuo Yue, hiding in the corner behind, was full of question marks. The other person had already agreed to queue with you, and your shoulders were almost touching. Why didn't you shake hands with them?
Even a casual touch of the finger would be harmless! It wouldn't hurt to touch it!
No. Their hands remained separate the entire time; Sasuke even had his hands in his pockets, and Mai couldn't bring herself to touch them!
After buying ice cream, the two wandered around Konoha Village. First, they went to the food street, where Sasuke bought a skewer of three-colored dumplings. Mai didn't buy anything, standing beside him waiting for him to finish, and they chatted for a bit about how the dumplings were sweet. Then they went to the flower shop. Sasuke stood at the entrance for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the bouquets of seasonal flowers displayed at the door, but he didn't go in. Mai didn't seem inclined to go in either, and the two simply passed by.
Then they went to the ninja tool shop. Sasuke picked up a few kunai and tested their weight. Mai watched from the side and gave a few brief comments, which were limited to "that one is too far forward" and "this handle is too thin".
Then came the ninja dog shop, where several ninja dog puppies were huddled together taking a nap in the window. Sasuke stood in front of the window for a while, and Mai stood beside him watching as well. Neither of them said, "Should we go in and take a look?"
More like a casual stroll by ordinary friends on their day off than a date. There was absolutely no "we're developing a romantic relationship" vibe, not a single hint of romance in the air.
Zuo Yue crouched in a hidden spot behind, her fists clenching tighter and tighter. She couldn't understand it at all. Shouldn't they be taking the initiative at a time like this? They should be feeding each other after buying food, and they should stop at the flower shop to pick out a bouquet. Even if they didn't buy anything, they should at least say, "This one would suit you." They stood in front of the ninja dog shop window for so long. Why didn't they plan out what it would be like to raise a pet together in the future?
Even just asking "Which type of dog do you prefer?" would have opened up a conversation, right? But what was she seeing? Uchiha Sasuke had a chocolate bar dangling from his mouth, like a cigarette.
He put his hands back into his pockets and walked slowly beside Mai, his face showing an expression that said, "I don't need to take the initiative."
Uchiha Satsuki looked at that blockhead, this guy who was particularly obsessed with sweets, and his anger rose all the way up.
Time ticked by, the sun had moved from its zenith to the west, and the shadows on the street stretched longer and longer. Dusk was approaching.
"This is bad, it's almost evening!" Zuo Yue looked up at the sky, her voice filled with anxiety. "I've been following her since this morning, and there's still no progress! We haven't even touched hands once, and we haven't exchanged more than a few ambiguous words. What kind of date is this?!"
"Damn it, I can't let this go." Mikoto bit her right thumb nail, her brows furrowed into a knot, staring at the two utterly pathetic figures in the distance, her mind racing.
Her gaze swept around the room before settling on Naruto, who had been barely reacting. Her eyes lit up, she released her thumb, which had been bitten with teeth marks, and placed both hands heavily on Naruto's shoulders, turning him around to face her. She then spoke in a serious tone.
"Please! Since you have this connection with my family, you can't just stand by and do nothing at a time like this. Help my son!"
"...How can I help?"
Naruto felt a little uneasy under Mikoto's determined gaze, and with her grip on his shoulder making it impossible for him to move, he could only follow her lead and ask further questions.
"Use transformation magic to become a villain or something similar," Mikoto stated her solution decisively.
"You block their path from behind, pretending to be some thugs looking for trouble, and make the atmosphere tense. Sasuke may seem awkward usually, but when it comes to standing up for you, he won't hesitate. He'll definitely protect Mai, and once that hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scene happens, Mai's opinion of him will definitely change. Maybe she'll even get moved and..."
"Even though you are my elder, please allow me to formally decline this offer."
Naruto tried his best to keep his expression at the "polite" level, but a vein on his forehead was throbbing slightly.
"That definitely won't do!" Satsuki immediately objected. "How can Naruto be the bad guy? It's not right to have such a good person play the villain... uh."
Satsuki recalled the Raikage's visit to Konoha during her childhood and changed her mind.
She offered her alternative: "How about we try a different approach? We could use ninjutsu to create a natural disaster near them, causing Sasuke to instinctively protect Mai. This kind of natural, unexpected situation is much more realistic than a man-made villain."
"Is this the problem?" Naruto finally couldn't hold back anymore.
Two women from the Uchiha clan, one planning to make him a thug and the other planning to create a natural disaster, both with the aim of bringing together a pair of stubborn blockheads.
"Hmm..." Satsuki lowered her head, crossed her arms, and began another round of deep thought. How could she get those two to commit to a relationship?
She wasn't joking; she was genuinely anxious. The situation in this world was completely different from her own. Their relationship had been one-sided and exclusive from the very beginning.
But what about this world? In this world, "Naruto Uzumaki" is a girl, and how many uncontrollable variables are around a girl? A sense of urgent tension welled up in Satsuki's heart. What if? What if Gaara in this world is a boy? What if that male version of Gaara also harbors some special feelings for Naruto and Mai, just like the Gaara in her world?
What if Gaara wins in the end, and my own reflection in this world becomes the loser... Satsuki Hikaru felt uncomfortable just thinking about this possibility.
No, absolutely not. Even if this world isn't the one she lives in, she absolutely will not allow another version of herself to be NTR'd by someone else!
"...Satsuki?" Naruto looked at Satsuki, who was deep in thought, with her head down and muttering something to herself.
After a while, Zuo Yue suddenly raised her head, her eyes flashing with sudden realization. She smiled, a perfectly normal smile that would put anyone in a good mood.
"Yeah, why not just modify that guy's mindset directly? Use that technique to make him more proactive. It's not a big change, just a slight adjustment to the 'frankness' part of his personality parameters—"
"...I disagree."
Naruto objected without hesitation.
"Huh? Why?"
Zuo Yue looked up at him, her dark eyes clearly filled with grievance and confusion. "I didn't mean to hurt him... I just wanted to help him understand a little better."
Naruto felt a chill run down his spine from that look, and he raised his hand to cover his forehead in exasperation. "Satsuki, I'm not being mean to you. But isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to interfere in other people's relationships like this?"
"I don't think it's a good idea either." Satsuki blinked, her expression serious and frank, but the next second her tone changed, "But the premise is, there has to be a relationship first!"
"...That won't do either, that's too much, I don't agree."