This night, they watched the fireworks…
“Thirty-six.”
Sakura Haruno effortlessly scooped a goldfish into a bag, the large bag of fish packed so tightly they seemed on the verge of suffocation.
The stall owner was also on the verge of suffocation. Sakura Haruno had bought just one goldfish scooping net, yet she had caught so many fish—and the net still looked like it could last a whole day without breaking.
She wasn’t using any special Secret Technique either; she managed it with just her hands. The owner couldn’t find any fault with her.
“Twenty-five.” The net in Sasuke’s hand tore again. He had already ruined five nets to catch this many, and his expression instantly darkened.
He had lost.
Seeing Sasuke’s gloomy face, the owner felt even gloomier. Catching so many with just a few nets and still not happy? He was the one who should be unhappy.
“Forty-five.” Naruto said with a serious expression.
Sakura gave him a light knock on the head. “You broke forty-five nets and only caught one fish, and you still have the nerve to count?”
Seeing Naruto, the owner was moved to tears. Tonight’s losses would have to be covered by him.
Sakura Haruno leaned close to Sasuke and said with a grin, “Do you admit defeat?”
Sasuke crumpled the paper net in his hand and finally lowered his head in surrender. Sakura immediately jumped up happily. “I won!”
[Goldfish Scooping with Sasuke Uchiha mission completed. Gained three points.]
She set the net down, and Sasuke immediately glanced at it. Aside from being a bit wet, it looked as if it had never been used. He wanted to ask for tips, but the words caught in his throat, too embarrassed to speak.
Naruto, on the other hand, had no such reservations. “Sakura, how did you do it? Your net never breaks.”
“Nothing special, just practice makes perfect.”
Sakura poured the bag of nearly suffocating goldfish back into the bucket. Under the owner’s astonished gaze, she said, “I don’t know how to raise goldfish. You’re the professional, so you keep them.”
The owner suddenly felt ashamed of his earlier pettiness.
Sasuke also poured his goldfish back. It wasn’t that he couldn’t raise fish, but he simply didn’t have the time.
Naruto, however, hesitated with his single, pitiful fish. Just as he was about to pour it back, Sakura stopped him. “Let’s keep this one.”
Sakura turned to Naruto with a smile. “Do you know how to raise fish, Naruto?”
Naruto’s face flushed red, and he nodded immediately. “I do, Sakura.”
In the end, the owner happily gave them a round fishbowl, complete with small stones and seaweed.
Naruto poured the goldfish into the bowl, then carried the small fishbowl as he walked alongside Sakura and Sasuke through the bustling crowd.
Although a few villagers still occasionally glared at him, Naruto inexplicably didn’t feel hurt. Watching Sakura beside him eating cotton candy, he suddenly felt the courage to stand against a world that despised him.
He was no longer alone, so he wouldn’t be afraid anymore.
Naruto lowered his head, secretly smiling. He spotted a stall selling masks up ahead, one of which was a cute rabbit mask.
He immediately rushed over and turned back to Sakura. “Sakura, let’s buy a mask.”
He asked the owner to take down the rabbit mask. The owner glanced at him, seeming to recognize who he was, and hesitated with a frown. Sakura Haruno had already lazily walked over, directly taking the rabbit mask and casually placing it on her own head. Then she took down a fox mask and placed it on Naruto’s head, whose hands were already full.
Sasuke, who had just walked over, also received a black cat mask as a gift.
Sakura Haruno calmly tossed the money to the shopkeeper, then continued walking forward with the other two as if nothing had happened. “Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”
She didn’t know when she’d be able to shake this habit of getting hungry so quickly.
Sasuke, still a bit dazed, reached up to adjust the crooked black cat mask he was wearing—he had never worn anything like this before.
He had intended to take it off, but for some reason, he lowered his hand in the end, slipping both hands into his pockets as he continued walking side by side with Sakura Haruno.
Naruto finally snapped out of his trance and immediately exclaimed with a grin, “I want takoyaki!”
Sakura: “I wonder if there’s any wagashi.”
Sasuke: “There’s a dessert stall up ahead.”
Naruto: “Then let’s go for dessert first.”
Sasuke wanted to say he didn’t like sweets, but the words died on his lips. After all, whether he liked them or not wasn’t as important as the atmosphere right now.
Sakura remarked casually, “But Sasuke doesn’t like sweet stuff, right? Let’s go for grilled food first. Eating too many sweets on an empty stomach makes me uncomfortable too.”
Naruto deflated. “How does Sakura know what he likes or doesn’t like?”
Sakura replied nonchalantly, “I know what you like too. You like fish cakes, tonkotsu ramen, and grilled food.”
With that, Naruto immediately perked up again, while Sasuke gave Sakura a curious glance. How did she know his food preferences? Then he remembered they had been eating lunch together all this time. With careful observation, it was indeed possible to figure out each other’s tastes.
For example, he knew that Sakura Haruno’s favorite foods were sweets, and her favorite drink was tea… He liked tea too.
Once they had eaten their fill, the group found the best viewing spot—a grassy slope—and sat down.
The fireworks display was nearing its grand finale, and from a distance, they could see the bustling, busy area where the fireworks were being set up.
Sakura ate little but frequently, which meant she often had something in her mouth. After the meal, she was sucking on a plum to cleanse her palate, while still holding a cotton candy stick.
After finishing the plum and nibbling away the cotton candy, she rubbed her foot against the grass, clearing a patch of dirt, and began drawing on it—this time, illustrating the technique for scooping goldfish.
The earlier situation hadn’t been suitable, and her explanation had been too brief.
Because the technique required precise calculations of force and exceptional finger control to achieve perfect results, it wasn’t something that could be easily explained verbally in a short time.
Now that everyone had some free time, she used the cotton candy stick to draw while explaining to the two boys beside her.
Sasuke had assumed that after Naruto’s question went unanswered in detail, she wouldn’t elaborate further. He thought it might be her secret technique, not something she’d readily share. He never expected her to teach it step by step.
He leaned in closer, and Naruto did the same.
Soon enough, Sasuke understood the technique and method. He flexed his fingers, then clenched them tightly, his gaze toward Sakura Haruno burning with fierce determination.
Just from hearing her explanation, he knew there was a gap between his finger dexterity and Sakura’s. It seemed he’d have to start training his fingers tomorrow.
Naruto, on the other hand, listened for a while before shaking his head and claiming he understood, though his eyes were utterly blank. I don’t get it, Sakura…
After finishing her explanation, Sakura tossed the stick aside, unconcerned about the effectiveness of her teaching.
After all, one was a boy with rabbit-like eyes and the other had nine tails—both were Kishimoto’s brainchildren. As a mere side character, she wasn’t going to worry about their progress.
She looked up at the sky. “The colors of the fireworks are beautiful.”
She genuinely marveled, having seen fireworks over the years, but this year’s colors were undoubtedly the most beautiful.
Pink fireworks bloomed in the sky, drifted, and vanished, like countless cherry blossoms falling into a splendid spring night, exuding an intensely brilliant beauty.
Sasuke and Naruto also looked up. After a while, Naruto turned his face to glance at Sakura.
Dressed in a kimono with a bow tied, Sakura looked more delicately adorable than usual. Her round face wore a gentle expression, and her emerald-green eyes reflected the entire sea of cherry blossoms.
Naruto knew the fireworks were beautiful—he saw it in Sakura’s eyes.
Belatedly, he glanced at Sasuke and found him similarly staring blankly at Sakura.
Before Naruto could squeeze over to block his view, Sasuke quickly turned his face away, lost in thought, and never looked back at Sakura.
Naruto didn’t dwell on it—he was glad Sasuke wasn’t looking.
Gradually, the three of them huddled together. It was unclear who first leaned against whose arm, but when Sakura Haruno pulled her gaze away from the fireworks, she found Sasuke and Naruto sitting closely beside her.
The surroundings were lively, and the grassy area was crowded. Sakura Haruno assumed they had nowhere else to sit and didn’t move.
Perhaps due to the clear weather, a few shooting stars streaked through the fireworks, prompting some people to make wishes.
Sakura Haruno joined in the moment. “I wish…”
But the wish remained unspoken on her lips.
Naruto immediately asked curiously, “Sakura, what’s your wish?”
Sakura Haruno had no taboo about sharing it. She smiled and said, “Ah, I hope to live happily and peacefully, staying joyful until old age.”
In the world of the Hokage, such a wish wasn’t easy to fulfill—it required her continuous effort and training.
Naruto nodded eagerly. “Of course you’ll live happily. My wish is to become Hokage, gain everyone’s recognition, and then… if I become Hokage, I’ll definitely protect your happiness.”
Sakura Haruno replied without surprise, “You’ll become Hokage. You will when you grow up.”
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. “It’s just a wish for now, Sakura. Are you so sure I can become Hokage?”
Sakura Haruno: “If not you, then who?”
No need for modesty—this world is named after you. If you don’t become Hokage, this world would fall apart.
Naruto laughed even more happily, immediately raising both hands toward the vanished shooting stars and shouting, “I’m going to become Hokage!”
He promptly earned numerous strange and disdainful looks from onlookers. Sakura Haruno, however, enthusiastically clapped in support. In another decade or so, Naruto would become Hokage—this was her future backing for strutting around Konohagakure.
After a moment of silence, Sasuke also said softly, “My wish is to grow up and become a member of the police force, protecting everyone.”
Sakura Haruno glanced at him, thinking of the tragedies he would face later, unsure what expression to wear.
Sasuke keenly noticed her hesitant gaze and immediately raised an eyebrow. “What, do you think I’m not strong enough?”
Sakura Haruno hesitated briefly. “That’s not it. I just think you’re definitely capable of more than just being a police force member. You’re very strong.”
To be tormented by that insane brother to such an extent and still manage to redeem himself without losing his mind—she had to admit defeat to that level of mental fortitude.
Wait, hold on… He did say his brother was perfect in the end, didn’t he? Seems like he’s still crazy after all.
Sasuke was momentarily stunned, then opened his mouth as if to say something before turning away, a flush creeping up from his ears. Was she… acknowledging him?
Sasuke had never imagined that being acknowledged by a friend could feel so incredibly joyful.
Though it might just be polite words—after all, she also said Naruto could become Hokage—he couldn’t stop the little bubbles of happiness from rising in his heart.
They watched the fireworks for a long time that night, and in the end, the three little ones lay on the grass gazing at the stars until they fell asleep.
When Sasuke woke up, he found himself being carried home on Itachi’s back. “You’re awake, Sasuke,” Itachi said.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Sasuke mumbled, “Brother, how do you have time to come get me?”
Itachi smiled gently. “You hadn’t come back for a while, so I came looking for you.”
Sasuke asked, “My friends…”
Itachi replied, “Both of your friends were picked up by their families.”
Sasuke wanted to say that Naruto wasn’t his friend and that he was an orphan with no family. Then he thought of Sakura and swallowed his words. Naruto’s family… probably meant Sakura’s family now.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Itachi asked.
Sasuke was always straightforward with his brother and immediately nodded. “Yes.”
“That’s good,” Itachi said.
Resting his head on Itachi’s back, Sasuke whispered, “I think I understand you and Shisui now. This is what having friends feels like—you really do want to stay with them all the time.”
Attending classes together, eating together, training together, competing and improving together.
The feeling of loneliness completely vanished when he was with friends.
Itachi paused for a moment before nodding calmly. “Yes, that’s the meaning of friendship.”
The starry sky faded into the distance behind them as Itachi carried Sasuke toward a darker path—the direction leading to the Uchiha territory.
Naruto groggily opened his eyes and found himself sleeping in Sakura’s bed again. He remembered now—Sakura’s parents had come to pick her up, and in the end, each of them had been carried back by one of Sakura’s parents.
Where was Sakura?
He sat up and saw Sakura sleeping at the foot of the bed, the blanket having slipped off her.
Naruto pulled the blanket up and gently covered her with it, then rested his chin in his hands and quietly watched her.
As the light of dawn began to seep through the window, Sakura sleepily rubbed her eyes and opened them, following her body’s natural rhythm.
“Good morning, Sakura,” Naruto said, propping his chin in his hands and giving her a smile brighter than the sun.
Sakura yawned. “Morning, Naruto.”
Today was another day to eat well, train hard, and live fully.