Naruto: I, who didn't want to be hacked to pieces, saved the ninja world.

Chapter 109 Sakura's Turn

Sakura's heart is pounding really hard right now.

She and Baiyun Qingye walked side by side on a quiet path, the snow under their feet soft, as if it were a velvet carpet covering the earth.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.

A gentle smile remained on Shirokumo Aoba's face. Sakura held one of his hands, while her other hand nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

Ignoring Naruto and Sasuke, who were arguing loudly earlier, there were only the two of them alone now.

Before climbing the Hokage Rock, Shirokumo Aoba belonged to her alone.

She felt as if the air around her had become sweet and cloying, but she was also worried that if she didn't say anything, Bai Yun Qingye might get bored...

"Aoba... the weather seems pretty good today."

Sakura spoke, her voice as soft as the rustling of leaves in a breeze, but the topic felt like she was just making conversation.

"Yes, it's been snowing for the past few days, and we haven't seen a single cloud today."

Bai Yunqingye looked up at the moon in the sky and suddenly realized that although it was not a full moon, it was unusually bright. An old saying came to mind.

"The moon is so beautiful tonight."

Sakura, who was trying to find a topic to talk about, froze for a moment, and her cheeks immediately became hot again. Because she was too nervous, she misheard.

"Me too……"

The moon was just right, and the wind was gentle.

She suddenly realized that even without chatting, the atmosphere was quite nice.

"Aoba, let's have a match!"

Just then, Naruto, who had been walking ahead, suddenly ran towards them, breaking the unusual atmosphere between Shirakumo Aoba and Sakura.

Sakura, who was still lost in thought, suddenly woke up and looked up at Naruto. Her eyes, which were filled with a desire to kill, were impossible to hide.

If Shirokumo Aoba hadn't been there, she would have already used her superhuman strength to punch Naruto.

"A competition?" Bai Yunqingye asked, puzzled.

Naruto nodded excitedly, "That's right, let's see who can get to the Hokage Rock first!"

"You and Sakura are a team, and I'll be a team with Sasuke. Whoever gets through the 'Path of the Ninja' first wins, okay?"

Baiyun Qingye remained silent for a moment, then looked at Sasuke, who had also walked over. Although his expression was still somewhat indifferent, his eyes were filled with a strong fighting spirit.

The Uchiha clan is never inferior to anyone throughout their lives; they accept any challenge.

Seeing this, Shirokumo Aoba smiled and said, "Alright, let's have a competition then. Whoever loses has to treat everyone to ramen when they get up there!"

"Great!"

Naruto became even happier, "Then I want to eat Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Row!"

Upon receiving a response, Naruto's steps became much more cheerful.

"Sasuke, don't you dare drag me down later!"

"Hmph, it's you who shouldn't hold me back!"

Watching Naruto and Sasuke slowly walk away, now some distance from them, Shirakumo Aoba whispered to Sakura.

"Sakura, we'll just go our own way and ignore them."

Upon hearing this, Sakura's disappointment immediately disappeared.

She thought that Shirakumo Aoba was going to have a serious match with Naruto and the others, which would mean that their time together would be greatly reduced.

From this perspective, it's clear that in Aoba's eyes, she is more important than Naruto and Sasuke.

Thinking of this, Sakura's lips curved slightly.

"In that case, wouldn't you have lost the match you promised Naruto and the others?"

Baiyun Qingye smiled and shook her head, "It's okay, I can still afford two bowls of ramen."

……

The two walked for a while longer.

Sakura's initial joy gradually subsided, as the atmosphere between the two not only disappeared but also became more silent.

Throughout the journey, she kept wanting to say something, but she didn't know what to say.

Shirakumo Aoba noticed Sakura's change in mood. "Sakura, is something on your mind?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment, "Aoba, don't you think I'm boring? If it were Tenten or Ino, they definitely wouldn't be like me, unable to even find topics to talk about."

Baiyun Qingye then realized what was happening and couldn't help but chuckle, realizing that the atmosphere was too silent.

"If we're talking about being bored, then I'm the same way. I'm not very good at chatting either."

"I was just worried that Sakura wouldn't be happy when we're alone together."

“It’s different.” Sakura said anxiously, “I’m happy as long as Aoba is around. I’m worried that you’ll find me boring and then stop liking me…”

"Then we're the same!"

Shirokumo Aoba held Sakura's hand even tighter. "Although we didn't talk much along the way and the atmosphere was very quiet, I felt very happy."

"Because the person who walked with me on this journey was you, Sakura."

"Really...really?" Sakura's voice trembled slightly.

Shirokumo Aoba stopped and stood in front of Sakura, looking into her eyes.

"Of course it's true. Just like Sakura, you feel happy when you're with me, I'll still feel happy even if we don't talk."

"So, there's no need to force yourself to find topics to talk about, because I really like Sakura."

Seeing the look in Shirokumo Aoba's eyes, Sakura's eyes immediately reddened, and she hugged him tightly.

Feeling Sakura's slightly trembling shoulders, Shirokumo Aoba gently patted her shoulder as well.

After a long while, when Naruto called out, the two separated and walked towards Naruto, who was waving.

"Why did you suddenly stop?" Naruto asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Sakura got sand in her eyes just now, so I blew it out for her," Shirakumo Aoba explained.

Sakura smiled and nodded, wiping away the tears that remained in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, I see. Let's hurry up and go. I've already seen a lot of people go by!"

Naruto didn't think much of it and strode ahead to lead the way.

Sasuke, who had been observing from the sidelines, only thought that Naruto's IQ was too low and his brain wasn't working well, and that Shirakumo Aoba was a guy who was always obsessed with women.

He discovered that all his friends were like that, and suddenly his life felt somewhat bleak.

He glanced again at Shirokumo Aoba and Sakura walking side by side, and finally decided to quicken his pace and walk with Naruto.

By observing the change in Sasuke's eyes, Shirokumo Aoba immediately realized that the guy hadn't thought things through.

However, they do have a good eye for things.

Shirokumo Aoba took Sakura's hand again. "By the way, Sakura, you look beautiful today!"

Sakura blushed slightly. "Aoba looks handsome today too."

"By the way, is your hair clip newly bought? I've never seen you wear it before."

Shirokumo Aoba only noticed it when she was holding Sakura earlier; it was a delicate pink cherry blossom.

"Yes, I bought it when I went shopping with my mom today." Sakura raised her hand to touch it. "What does Aoba think?"

"You are a perfect match for me."