Chapter 20: Sasuke: Naruto Is So Pitiful
"Iruka-sensei, you're really a good person!"
After quickly finishing the milk and onigiri, Naruto walked to school together with Iruka.
On the way, he suddenly flashed a bright smile and gave Iruka a "good person card."
Although Iruka had originally approached him because of a mission, there were many ways to complete a mission. Naruto only hoped Iruka wouldn't change his attitude in the future.
"This is your lunch. Don't eat it before noon, no matter how hungry you get!"
Once they arrived at school, Iruka handed Naruto a bento box.
But when he saw the boy's excited expression — as if he wanted to devour it immediately — Iruka felt the need to give a serious warning.
If Naruto ate it now, he would definitely be starving again by lunchtime.
"But… but my stomach is still so hungry…"
Naruto's big eyes filled with grievance. He finally had food in his hands, yet he still had to wait?
This was too hard to endure!
"No means no. Even if you're hungry, you have to hold it in. If you eat now, you'll have nothing for lunch and feel terrible all afternoon!"
Iruka's face darkened instantly. He knew this little brat couldn't control himself. It looked like he couldn't give him the lunch early next time.
"Oh…"
Naruto hugged the bento box and walked into the classroom with a pitiful look, head lowered. He reached his desk, sat down, and his eyes began to water. Finally, he simply lay face-down on the desk and refused to get up.
"Uzumaki Naruto, did your injuries from before heal?"
Sasuke had arrived earlier and had been sitting quietly at his seat, waiting for class to start.
But now he watched Naruto walk in with a sad face, sit down without greeting him, and even start crying?
"I-I'm fine… It wasn't because you hit me. My old injuries probably hadn't fully healed, so they flared up again…"
Naruto wiped his face with his sleeve and looked up at Sasuke with a forced smile.
However, with his red, swollen eyes, the smile didn't look cute at all — it only made him seem even more miserable.
Of course, this was all deliberate on Naruto's part. Thanks to Iruka's recent change in attitude, he wanted to see how the person hidden in the tree outside would react.
Hatake Kakashi…
A man said to be a walking tragedy.
His father was driven to suicide by rumors when he was young. He finally gained comrades, only for one to die for him and the other to die by his own hand… Later, his teacher became Hokage, but before anything could develop, both the teacher and his wife died protecting the village. And now, as the orphan left behind, Naruto was ordered to be kept away from him — even forced to watch from the shadows as the boy was bullied…
This morning, Naruto purposely put on a pitiful crying act just to observe Kakashi's reaction.
Since he was monitoring from a hidden spot, he probably wouldn't bother acting, right?
Heartbeat, gaze, breathing, and tiny movements — these were what Naruto was focusing on right now.
While Naruto paid close attention to Kakashi's subtle changes, Sasuke, who was sitting right next to him, was deeply affected.
"Are you hungry?"
Remembering the onigiri in his own bento, Sasuke thought he might have a way to stop this guy from crying.
"Yeah… I didn't eat enough. But Iruka-sensei said I can't open the bento before noon, or I'll have to stay hungry again…"
Thinking about his still-empty stomach, Naruto rubbed it with his hand, then looked down at the tempting bento box in front of him. Its allure felt almost unbearable.
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