“Naruto thinks that in the previous Ninja Sparring session, Sasuke was too heavy-handed with you, and as a friend, he didn’t consider your feelings.”
Shino’s answer was concise and to the point.
“Was that really the reason?”
Sakura actually had a hunch, but after getting accurate information from Shino, she still found it hard to believe.
The reason for this argument was simply making a mountain out of a molehill.
A Ninja’s life is just that cruel; it’s natural for the strong to tower over the weak, and it makes no sense to stand up for a weakling like Sakura.
So, regarding the way Sakura lost the Ninja Sparring session, although Ino felt emotionally dissatisfied with Sasuke, she rationally suppressed the urge to question him personally.
Even Sakura comforted Ino, telling her to ignore the dissatisfaction in her heart.
Because that is the law of Ninja survival.
Losing a match is better than losing one’s life on a real battlefield.
However, Naruto was not within this “rationality”; most of the time, he was an impulsive hothead who hastily expressed his opinions.
Especially since this behavior that dissatisfied Naruto came from Sasuke, whom he regarded as his rival, his emotions naturally became even more volatile.
However, Sakura always felt that Naruto wasn’t doing it entirely to stand up for her as a friend.
Naruto’s provocation of Sasuke was likely more out of anger that the rival he admired and wanted to surpass had acted in a way that “wasn’t worthy of admiration or surpassing.”
This can’t go on; can’t everyone just get along a bit more kindly?
Do Ashura’s and Indra’s Chakra really repel each other that much?
Can’t they even reach a mutual understanding over a small issue?
Does the Six Paths Sage even know how to raise kids…
Right now, the way Sasuke and Naruto interact is almost no different from the original story; they clearly have no irreconcilable conflicts, yet they are constantly at odds.
On the contrary, Sakura is now getting along very well with Ino, having long since eliminated the possibility of their relationship breaking down over the abstract reason of “being love rivals” as in the original story.
But the way those two, Naruto and Sasuke, interact is still a bit too stubborn.
If things continue like this, even after everyone joins Team 7, Sasuke will see that he’s surrounded by one stubborn idiot who knows nothing and smiles all day; one weakling who was taken down by him in a second during Ninja Sparring; and a Jonin leader who only achieved what he has “by relying on a single Sharingan” and never has enough Chakra…
Feeling that his future is bleak, won’t he just be lured away by Orochimaru again!
She thought that since she had already changed and deepened the bonds between the future Rookies, Sasuke and Naruto would also gradually become different.
Since the hands-off strategy is on the verge of failure, Sakura felt she should take decisive action!
Sakura first thanked Shino for the information she got from him, then moved her position closer to Sasuke.
“Yo!”
Sakura used a relatively exaggerated greeting to catch Sasuke’s attention.
“Do you have anything else?”
Sasuke looked at Sakura and asked.
Seeing her welcoming smile, he paused and then added, “If you’re planning to argue with me like Naruto, then don’t bother. I don’t think there’s anything blameworthy about winning a fair and square victory.”
Having spent a month together, Sasuke was well aware of Sakura’s persistent nature.
If she were to follow Naruto’s example and argue with him, dealing with her would be much harder than dealing with Naruto.
Sakura was definitely not the type who would get flustered and angry just by being ignored, like Naruto.
“Instead of blaming others, you should think carefully about why you lost. Sakura, this doesn’t just apply to you; it’s the same for that guy Naruto.”
Sasuke spoke his mind.
Although he was mostly taciturn and solitary during his time at school, he wasn’t truly as arrogant as he appeared on the surface.
Sasuke had been silently paying attention to his classmates, and through his focused observation, he had formed his own unique views on everyone.
The reason he shared that criticism-like evaluation with Sakura herself wasn’t to mock her; the reason was similar to the meaning of the seal of reconciliation formed between “opponents” after a Ninja Sparring session.
After all, they were comrades belonging to the same Konoha.
They should help each other and grow together.
That idiot Naruto didn’t understand this logic; his reminders would be misunderstood by Naruto as a provocation.
That’s why Sasuke chose to remain silent when Naruto was looking for trouble earlier, letting Naruto be aggressive in front of him.
But Sakura was different from Naruto, which is why Sasuke spoke the words he had originally kept in his heart to her.
He had expectations for Sakura and didn’t want her to come to him just to argue.
But Sakura’s answer still surprised Sasuke.
“I’m sorry, I hope you can accept my apology.”
Sakura’s unexpected apology left Sasuke unsure of how to respond.
He stared at Sakura for a while before carefully choosing his words to ask about his confusion: “Why are you apologizing?”
The argument was started by Naruto; Sakura had no reason to apologize to him.
Sakura observed the expression on Sasuke’s face.
She also really wanted to answer his question by saying: “Yeah, why am I apologizing?”
Becoming the reason for the argument between Naruto and Sasuke was completely an undeserved misfortune for Sakura.
But she was just finding an excuse to intervene in the interaction between these two awkward kids, Naruto and Sasuke, to prevent their relationship from becoming as convoluted as in the original story.
Sakura didn’t want her future to be like the original story, stuck with a fractured Team 7 and having to scrounge for achievements in other Ninja teams.
If it continues like this, by the time the Joint Chunin Exams come around in the future, won’t it be Sakura herself who ends up suffering?
Cut out those ‘you defect, I chase’ plots from the original story; I don’t have time to act in seven hundred plus episodes with you.
It’s not the plot I like, so I’m rejecting it directly!
“The source of Naruto’s argument with you is me, so of course I have a responsibility to bear.”
Despite her frantic internal complaints, Sakura naturally had to find another reason to apologize to Sasuke.
“I can understand Naruto’s good intentions in defending me, so my apology to you doesn’t include Naruto; I don’t want to take it upon myself to define his behavior for him. But Ninja Sparring always has winners and losers, and the way one ‘considers the opponent’s feelings’ varies from person to person.”
Valuing his comrades is Naruto’s brightest virtue; compared to a “win or loss,” Naruto cares more about looking out for the companions around him.
And for Sasuke, who chases after Uchiha Itachi as an idol, he cannot show mercy in any environment that displays “strength,” as that would make his path of chasing Itachi less pure…
but Sasuke is not without his own kind of gentleness.
In a situation where there is a significant gap in strength, defeating an opponent quickly and decisively is, in a way, also a form of respect for that opponent.
From their respective perspectives, both were doing the right thing.
So if a problem is to be found, won’t it eventually have to be pinned on Sakura?
Sakura was actually happy to see this; she even needed this outcome.
Since Sasuke and Naruto are so awkward about making friends with each other, she’ll just draw the “firepower” of their conflict and act as a bridge for the two protagonists to develop a friendship.
This is my, Sakura’s, Team 7 Friendship route!