— You… let go of me.
After a little over a minute, once she'd recovered, Sakura pushed herself out of Yashin's arms, her face as red as a ripe tomato.
The youngest of the Harunos made no attempt to hold her back, despite how strange and new the sensation felt—having someone so vulnerable willingly nestled in his embrace.
— How dare you hug me after hitting me?
A faint smile appeared on Yashin's face.
Maybe his little sister was a masochist.
That would explain why she never minded being so tightly clung to by the second pillar.
While he was distracted by these vague hypotheses, the blonde girl, who had been relegated to the role of spectator, stepped forward, driven by concern for her friend.
— Sakura…
Before Yamanaka's slender fingers could even brush Sakura's flushed cheek, Sakura swatted her hand away.
— Don't touch me!
— … Sakura, you…
The confusion and pain in Ino's gaze clashed head-on with the icy anger and indignation in her friend's eyes.
She couldn't understand it. She was just worried; and yet…
Before she could think any further, the pink-haired's voice rose again.
— I don't need you to look at me as if you pity me.
Finally, Sakura's words and irrational behavior had completely exhausted her patience.
Why should the heiress of a noble clan have to put up with the nonsense of a spoiled brat?
That thought—though fleeting—seemed, to the eldest Haruno, to be fully reflected in Yamanaka's annoyed expression.
However, before she could say anything, Ino spoke up again.
— What are you talking about? When have I ever looked at you that way?
No, first of all, when had she ever felt that way about Sakura?
Ever since she'd met her, she'd done nothing but worry about her and help her, always treating the pink-haired like a good friend, so that she'd never again be bullied or left out by others.
She was sure that if she were to feel anything for her, it would never be pity, but perhaps envy.
— "When?" You ask me "when"? You do it all the time. Every time you look at me, it's as if, instead of seeing me standing right in front of you, you see someone weak who needs your care.
Taking advantage of the slight hesitation her words caused in Ino, Sakura stepped forward to close the distance and face her.
However, despite her apparent fierceness, only she and her brother knew just how wildly her heart was racing at that moment.
— I-I… I never thought anything like that.
Nevertheless, Yamanaka's confusion was soon overshadowed once again by her anger.
— You're accusing me without knowing anything, even though I've done nothing but treat you well. You're just ungrateful.
— So you're finally admitting what you've always thought.
— No! That's not what this is about.
— Then what is it about?
Seeing the two girls almost bumping foreheads, like a pair of stags in mating season, Yashin's smile widened.
Now that was a sight worth seeing.
Not like the charade they'd put on for him at the beginning; however, the pink-haired's joy didn't last long before the brats returned to the crude root of their conflict.
— I didn't… what I mean is… I've always treated you like a true friend, and now you're talking to me like this.
— A good friend? A good friend would never have publicly declared that she likes someone just to force everyone else to step aside.
— W-what? I never… that was never my intention.
— Well, that's strange, because that's exactly what you did. After all, who wouldn't step aside when it comes to the romantic interest of the prestigious Yamanaka heiress? But don't expect me to do the same. I'll never give up that easily.
— Enough! I already said that was never my intention. I've never thought that way. Besides, what's with your obsession with not giving up, when you've never even had a chance?
— You…!
Yashin, dissatisfied with the direction the spectacle was taking, didn't hesitate for a second before hitting both girls on the back of the head.
Although he held back by striking them with his open palms, he didn't hold back on the force.
Immediately, the foreheads of the two brats collided.
Yashin, braced for the echo of a hollow thud, simply watched them with obvious contempt as the impact sounded as sharp as the collision of two abnormally hard stones.
Their heads seemed to be full, but judging by their arguments, he had a hard time figuring out what exactly was in them.
Someday he'd have to crack them open, though the hardness of their skulls would be a difficult obstacle to overcome.
After all, the fact that they could argue so fluently about such a magnificently stupid topic was not at all normal.
While the pink-haired was distracted by random thoughts, Ino and Sakura were writhing and moaning on the ground, clutching their heads.
— You… shānnarō.
— What the hell do you think you're doing?
The two girls' indignation only grew when they met Yashin's flippant gaze, looking down at them from above.
But before either of them could lose their temper and pounce on him, the youngest of the Harunos was already ready to divert their attention.
— You two, if you're going to argue, you should do it over something that's truly worth it.
— What do you mean by that?
Ignoring his sister's sullen question and the comical bump forming on her forehead, the pink-haired bent down to get on the same level as the two girls.
— Instead of using the Uchiha's tiny dick as an excuse to fight among yourselves—which, needless to say, will never get hard for any woman, much less for you two—you should be more… honest.
The intensity of his gaze and his unnecessary vulgarity were hard to reconcile. Even more so for a couple of innocent girls who had just bumped heads.
However, much to the pink-haired boy's surprise, it was Yamanaka—and not his sister, who was supposedly used to him and his way of speaking—who frowned first.
— What's the matter, brat? Upset by a genuine display of sincerity?
Instead of answering, Ino simply turned her head away, refusing to continue facing someone so… vulgar.
The girl's reaction, rather than causing the disgust Yashin had expected, actually amused him.
It was like seeing a dog look at him with disgust and contempt for picking his nose, when just a moment ago he'd been licking his own butt.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to mock the blonde's vulgarity, his sister reached out her hand, eager to stop him from continuing.
"You… What do you think you're doing?"
This time, she wasn't being kind at all.
Her annoyance wasn't just evident in her touch; her gaze and the tone of her voice were also quite revealing.
Even so, that only added to the pink-haired's amusement.
— I don't know. Why don't you tell me what I'm doing? Or better yet, why don't you tell me what's bothering you so much?
Despite the pain in his arm, Yashin's expression remained impassive.
— My honesty? My contempt for that pathetic Uchiha? Or is it my attitude toward your little friend?
Taking advantage of the surprise his words caused, the younger Haruno pulled his arm free from his little sister's grip before the brat could lose control and end up breaking it.
— What are you getting at with this?
— Don't you really know, Miss Yamanaka?
Ino, who was surreptitiously turning her gaze back to face the pair of siblings, looked away again as soon as she saw the pink-haired boy's insidious smile.
— First you throw all that shit at each other, and then you act concerned, as if nothing happened, as if you were still best friends. I wonder if that's how relationships work between noble clans and civilians. No matter what they throw at each other, the difference in their status means that nothing the other does affects them. Or maybe that only applies to the clans; after all, why would they bother with a dog's barking? As for you, if you want to get rid of that dog…
— Enough!
— Why? Is it really that hard for you to admit that my disappointing little sister is jealous of you, and that you, for some even sillier and stranger reason, are also jealous of her? Isn't that right?
She couldn't answer.
Ino Yamanaka, even with… her privileged upbringing and her keen insight into social interactions, was unable to come up with a response to the pink-haired's mocking and vulgar words.
And if she couldn't, Sakura stood even less of a chance.
Perhaps, if Yashin wanted to be overly optimistic, he could give them both credit and say that they already knew it—or at least sensed it—which was why it was so hard for them to say anything now.
Be that as it may, he wasn't interested.
Yashin tilted his head to one side, feigning genuine curiosity, even though the whole thing seemed ridiculous to him.
More than that.
Something worthy of his disappointing sister and his first friend.
However, discovering that the conflict had never really been about the Uchiha helped the pink-haired cope with it—or, at least, tolerate it.
After all, there was a big difference between the Uchiha who was stirring up both of their hormones being the spark of their conflict and him actually being at the heart of it.
On the other hand, the real problem…
— I mean, I can understand why this fool would be jealous of you. Always confident, always fawned over and surrounded by people, dazzling; with an attractive appearance, worthy of the heiress of a great clan. I'm sure this idiot isn't the only one who envies you; however, what reason do you have to be jealous of her?
Ino, once again, fell silent.
But this time, her silence wasn't because she didn't know what to say, but because of the embarrassment that was rising to the tips of her ears.
She never expected to hear something like that—and certainly not from Yashin Haruno.
Now she couldn't even muster the courage to look him in the eye.
However, that wasn't the case for the pink-haired who'd just been insulted for the blonde's benefit.
— You… shānnarō. Why are you still babbling?
— Damn it, let go of me. Do you want to break my arm or something?
— No. I want to rip your tongue out.
— Well, it seems your stupidity is so great that you don't even know where my tongue is.
— Who cares? I've got plenty of time to figure it out.
— Damn… instead of getting mad at me for exposing you, you should take a good look at yourself, you brat. You're related to me, and yet you're so pathetic—always fixated on others instead of seeing the advantages of being yourself.
Just as he was about to point out the greatest advantage of his disappointing sister—which turned out to be himself—Yashin noticed the shudder and the flash in Ino's aquamarine eyes that his words had provoked.
Immediately, the pink-haired boy's smile twisted even further.
Ignoring the vice-like grip of the—once again—dazed girl twisting his arm, he leaned toward the blonde, coming right up to her face.
— And here I was thinking Sakura was the biggest idiot among us. Looks like you want to compete with her even in that.
— Y-you… don't get so close.
Yamanaka's blush, though it returned with even greater intensity, was of absolutely no interest to the pink-haired boy.
— I mean, I never thought stories about a noblewoman envying the life of a commoner could actually happen in real life. I bet your parents have spoiled you rotten, haven't they?
Finally, the blonde's wandering mind snapped back to reality.
— What do you know?
Although it was little more than a whisper, Yashin could still sense the resentment behind Ino's words.
"What do you know about dealing with other people's expectations?"
The charming, lively blush on her face had completely vanished.
She was offended.
It wasn't just the sharpness of her tone; the coldness in her eyes also made it clear that this mattered more to her than the pink-haired realized.
But that didn't change Yashin's opinion. If anything, it only increased his disdain.
— Not much. I used to be a genius, and now I'm trash. No one has any expectations of me anymore.
— …
— What's the matter? Didn't you expect an answer like that?
— …
— Brat. Before you even think about looking at me with pity, you should think more about your own position. No matter how little I value your opinions, having an idiot on Sakura's level look at me that way is still a disgrace I'm not willing to tolerate.
— You…
Despite the harshness of his words, Miss Yamanaka was unable to hold back her smile.
— It seems you enjoy talking nonsense.
— Not as much as you enjoy belittling your own privileges.
Yashin's expression became a little more restrained, just enough to match the blonde's smile.
Although she was brimming with stupidity, somehow talking to Yamanaka also had its amusing side—or at least, it wasn't as unbearable as he'd initially imagined.
It seemed that her social charm might even work on him and his pink hair.
What a hopeless antagonist she turned out to be.
However, his slight fondness for the blonde wasn't enough to make Yashin give up on his original goal.
For a second, his eyes drifted to the exposed arms and legs of both girls, as the memory of Sarada and Tenten fighting came back to his mind.
Surely a show featuring his little sister and her best friend would also be a sight to behold.