10 Sakura
"Tsunade-sama, sorry I'm late. A brat wasted my time, but don't worry—when I find him, I'll make sure he never does that again," Sakura said as she entered the room, her eyes closed and a self-satisfied smile on her face, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.
Shizune bowed her head in shame, while Tsunade gritted her teeth in frustration. Behind Naruto, Konohamaru shrank back, whispering, "Save me, big bro."
Sakura stood frozen, her expression shifting from confidence to shock when she saw Naruto standing there.
"Na… Naruto? You're back?" She immediately started acting shy, trying to play the part of the modest kunoichi.
Naruto merely glanced at her with cold indifference before turning his face back to Tsunade. Sakura, not noticing the hostility, took a few steps toward him and said, "How do I look now, Naruto? Do you see any changes in me?"
When she asked that, everyone in the room paid attention, waiting to see if Naruto would respond in his usual manner, given his well-known crush on her.
This time, he turned fully toward her and said, "Wow, you didn't change a bit. Your forehead is even bigger than before."
The room went silent. No one could believe Naruto had said that to Sakura with such a straight face. Konohamaru turned pale, terrified for Naruto's life.
Sakura's face darkened with rage. She lifted her fist and attacked, shouting, "Naruto, you idiot!"
Just as the fist was about to connect with his face, he stopped it effortlessly with his left hand.
Pin-drop silence filled the room as everyone's jaws dropped. Tsunade and Shizune were shocked at how easily Naruto had caught Sakura's punch.
Naruto's next words stunned everyone except Sakura and Konohamaru. "Just because you learned an Uzumaki technique doesn't mean it will work on one."
When Sakura heard that, she gave a mocking smile. "This is Lady Tsunade's technique, you moron."
Tsunade blushed slightly in embarrassment when she heard Sakura say that.
Naruto maintained a straight face as he replied, "And her grandmother was Mito Uzumaki, who taught her that technique."
"Don't lie, Naruto! Tsunade-sama does not have any connection to you. Just because she tolerates your behavior does not mean that she has a connection to you!" Sakura said in a heated tone.
Naruto gave a mocking smile. "Oh, really?" He turned toward Tsunade and asked, "Am I wrong?"
"Of course you are wrong, idiot," Sakura snapped.
"Ahem," Tsunade cleared her throat, calling attention to herself.
"Sakura, Naruto is right—my grandmother's name was Mito Uzumaki. I am, in fact, Naruto's biological aunt," she said in a serious, commanding tone.
Sakura's face turned white with fear when she heard that.
Ignoring Sakura's terror, Tsunade continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And Sakura, keep in mind that the technique you just tried to use was taught to me by my grandmother. —you are merely a student using a borrowed technique. You would do well to remember that before you try to assault a fellow Konoha ninja again."
Tsunade stopped to look at Sakura, who was now quivering in front of her.
"Lady Tsunade, what do you mean by 'assaulting a Konoha nin'?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling.
Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger. "So you don't admit that you just tried to hit Naruto in front of me? And before you give me the excuse that Naruto insulted you, you could have just given him a simple reply saying that it was rude of him. But you didn't do that; you tried to attack him right in front of me."
As Tsunade lectured a terrified Sakura, the office door opened.
"Lady Tsunade, you called?"
TO BE CONTINUE