They went through a series of training exercises, starting from running, push-ups, and more until time passed by quickly without them realizing it.
Naruto approached Tenten, wanting to talk to her, but she kept avoiding him.
"Tenten," he called.
Still, Tenten ignored him. She pretended to be lost in thought, even though she clearly heard his voice.
Guy observed them but didn't comment. "They must be fighting... ah, the beauty of youth," he thought simply.
Lee, who had just finished his training, walked over to Naruto.
"Hey, Naruto! Come on! Weren't we going to catch some fish?" Lee asked. His face was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was heavy.
"Now?" Naruto squinted. "I think you should rest instead and let me go fishing with Tenten..."
"Right, Tenten?" he said while glancing at her.
Tenten looked at him but merely shook her head slightly, indicating she didn't want to go.
Seeing that, Naruto sighed inwardly, then decided to drag Lee to the river with him.
"Eh, wait, Naruto... slow down!" Lee shouted.
But Naruto ignored him and kept pulling him along.
When they arrived at the river, Naruto squatted and stared at the flowing water.
Lee followed his movements and did the same.
They sat silently, looking at each other, until Naruto suddenly kicked Lee in the face.
"You're too close," Naruto said in annoyance.
"Ugh! You're so cruel!" Lee fell back onto the ground, exhausted.
"Tired?" Naruto asked teasingly.
He didn't really mean it, but Lee's expression turned serious.
"Yeah! Of course I'm tired, but… this is the only way I can become stronger." Lee clenched his fist.
His voice was serious, making Naruto focus on him.
"You already know, right? From Tenten… that I can't use chakra," he continued.
Naruto nodded. Yes, they had talked about it before.
Lee looked at him and smiled. "That's why!" he raised his voice, "because I can't manipulate chakra, I've devoted myself to taijutsu. With it, I can overcome all of my limits," he said with strong conviction.
Then his eyes shifted toward the sky. "And now, I've found my youth… you understand, don't you?"
Naruto was silent. He understood exactly what Lee meant. It was about Sakura.
"But Lee… Sakura is the girl I like."
Lee sat down, shocked and stunned by the statement.
"You like her?!" Lee shouted.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded simply.
Lee lost his strength. "Huh… since you like her, then I should let her go—"
"Let her go? You're not even sure she'd accept you," Naruto cut him off with a skeptical look that annoyed Lee.
"Damn it... hold on, let me finish!" he protested.
"Yeah yeah, go on." Naruto gave him the floor, but Lee stayed silent.
"Hey, hurry up..." Naruto complained, annoyed.
Lee glared at him, boiling inside, feeling like he wanted to punch him.
"Alright… Naruto, you're my friend," Lee said.
"That's it?" Naruto stared at him in disbelief. He stood up and started walking toward the river.
"Hey Naruto, wait! I'm not done talking..."
"That's why… I'll let you have her. And with all my strength, I'll let go of these feelings," he said quietly.
Naruto stopped and turned around.
"Come on, let's go catch some fish. Right now, our stomachs matter more. And also… no matter what your feelings are, I don't care. Because I'll make her my woman, no matter what..."
Lee was speechless. He didn't know how to respond until realization hit him.
"Naruto, you jerk! Then why did you even want to talk to me?!" He clenched his fists and rushed toward Naruto.
Hearing that, Naruto just chuckled.
"Actually... I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to make a statement," he said casually with a wide grin.
And once again, Naruto's words infuriated Lee.
They continued fishing while arguing. Lee was truly annoyed with him, while Naruto just laughed and occasionally mocked him.
Meanwhile...
Sakura, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, remained silent. She then decided to go find Tenten.
"Hey, you," she called softly.
Tenten turned and looked at her. "What is it?" She glanced at Sakura's face but found no expression other than a flat look.
"Nothing, I just want to talk." She sat beside her.
Tenten shifted a bit, giving her space to sit. "So, what is it?" she asked again.
Sakura gave a slight smile. "You know? Naruto likes me..."
Thump!
Her heart ached as if something hit it. Tenten sat up and stared sharply at her.
"What do you mean?" She didn't look pleased.
Seeing that look, Sakura wasn't intimidated. She slowly stood up, walked closer, and held Tenten's fingers.
She didn't say anything, just looked at her intently, making Tenten feel uneasy.
"So… he likes me. But not just that." Sakura paused. She stood on tiptoe and whispered, "He also likes you..."
"What!?" Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded.
She looked at Sakura in disbelief. Impossible...
Sakura shook her head. "No… he really does. Naruto likes both of us."
Sakura sat back down, still watching her cheerfully.
"So, what do you think? Isn't he selfish?"
Tenten couldn't answer. Her heart was full of confusion.
"I don't know... I'm just... kind of grateful."
Realizing what she said, Tenten immediately covered her mouth.
Sakura let out a soft giggle.
"Oh, so you like him too?"
Tenten looked at her hesitantly, then finally nodded. "I guess… I'm interested in him."
"Hmm, that's good. In that case, go after him," Sakura said lightly.
Tenten frowned. "Why?" She didn't understand, or rather, didn't grasp her intent.
"Like I said… go after him. I think you're perfect for him."
Sakura's voice was gentle.
Then suddenly, her expression changed drastically.
"And… I really hate him." Her tone was cold.
The atmosphere instantly felt strange. Both of them fell silent.
Tenten started sinking into her thoughts, while Sakura kept staring at her as if trying to convince her.
She and Naruto… what exactly happened? And… is it true that Naruto likes me?
Tenten's thoughts began spinning.
Until—
"Yo," a hand touched her shoulder, startling her.
She turned and saw Naruto standing there.
"Hmm, you! Why do you always surprise me!!" Tenten complained.
Naruto looked at her. Tenten still seemed upset, but he was happy that she finally talked to him.
But instead of apologizing, Naruto smiled. "Really? I don't think so," he said selfishly.
"Here," he showed the fish they caught. "Let's cook this, and you have to help."
Without waiting for an answer, Naruto grabbed Tenten's hand and pulled her along.
He glanced briefly at Sakura, who was also watching him.
"She did well..." Naruto thought simply, a smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Sakura watched his gaze.
She felt a little odd, like something was wrong, but she shook it off and ignored it.
Sakura also helped out. She was hungry and figured she should at least eat a little something.