Chapter 5: Sakura Favors Sasuke

Ayame envied Sakura. While Sakura was indeed cute, she didn't have Ayame's... fullness.

Even though Sasuke had already transformed Sakura from a girl into a woman, the external changes were barely noticeable. Sakura was still too young and inexperienced in love, which left her looking as innocent as ever.

This purity made her very different from Tsunade in the later parts of the Naruto series. Tsunade’s mature allure was something Sakura could never learn.

Ayame's envy stemmed from the fact that in the world of 'Naruto', many girls were hopelessly infatuated. In the original story, no matter where Sasuke went, he attracted hordes of admirers, like a young celebrity idol. Ayame herself had once been young and dreamy. While she’d never been in love, she’d fantasized about meeting someone as handsome as Sasuke when she was Sakura's age.

Unfortunately, Ayame wasn’t as lucky as Sakura. She had never encountered such a person, and working at the Ichiraku Ramen shop left her no time for romance. Her days were consumed with work.

Logically and emotionally, Ayame couldn’t help but envy Sakura, especially since Sasuke seemed so gentle with her. A handsome and considerate guy like Sasuke was the ideal boyfriend.

“Here’s your ramen. Enjoy!” Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, served with his usual enthusiasm. For him, the joy of watching customers enjoy his food outweighed the pursuit of profit.

“This smells amazing. I’m digging in,” Sasuke said as he picked up his chopsticks and began eating. “Delicious, absolutely delicious.”

After all, food was a basic necessity, and with it came a surge of energy.

“Sakura, stop staring at me and eat too,” Sasuke said, noticing her gazing dreamily at him. “It won’t taste as good if it gets cold.”

Ichiraku’s ramen turned out to be more filling than Sasuke had anticipated. In the anime, Naruto could devour several bowls in one go, but Sasuke doubted he could manage more than two.

As fate would have it, a familiar lazy voice interrupted the peaceful scene.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Uncle Ichiraku, I’m starving! Get me some ramen!”

Naruto Uzumaki shuffled in, his voice tired and listless. Apparently, he’d spent the day napping and had only woken up because the cold night had driven him out of his makeshift bed.

In the original story, Naruto often skipped class and wasn’t as hardworking as Rock Lee. Instead, he usually found a quiet spot to nap. Today was no different.

What Naruto didn’t expect was that Sasuke had changed completely—and that his long-time crush, Sakura Haruno, was no longer the girl he once knew.

Naruto raised his hand, holding up a discount coupon. He was too poor to afford ramen without it. There was even a scene in the original series where he invited Sakura out for a meal but, unable to afford anything else, treated her to ramen and asked her to split the bill.

In the 'Naruto' world, going Dutch was normal. But given how broke Naruto was, his pursuit of Sakura seemed laughable. No wonder she never gave him the time of day when he was weak.

“Sasuke! Sakura!” Naruto exclaimed, shocked to see Sasuke eating ramen at Ichiraku, and even more so to see Sakura sitting beside him.

Tonight, Sakura looked different, though Naruto couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Her pale, delicate face was flushed, and her gaze was soft and dreamy.

‘What’s with that look?’ Naruto wondered, confused.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked. “Sakura, I’m so happy to see you!”

Naruto moved closer to Sakura, eager just to speak to her or see her smile. For him, even such small interactions were deeply satisfying.

But Sakura, colder than usual, cut him off.

“Naruto, I’m Sasuke’s girlfriend now. Don’t get too close to me.”

Her tone was full of disdain. Naruto, oblivious, still had grass stuck in his messy hair from wherever he’d been sleeping. Compared to the clean and charming Sasuke, Naruto looked like a mess.

“This... this can’t be!” Naruto’s world shattered. He stared wide-eyed at Sakura and Sasuke, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Sasuke, ever possessive, didn’t tolerate such behavior—even from Naruto. He reached out, pulled Sakura into his arms, and, right in front of Teuchi, Ayame, and Naruto, leaned down to kiss her deeply.

“Ah—” Naruto froze in shock. He clutched his hair, wanting to intervene but unable to move as he watched Sakura willingly melt into Sasuke’s embrace.

“Naruto, don’t be rude,” Sasuke said, raising his hand. With a surge of powerful chakra, he sent Naruto flying back.

“...” Naruto was stunned.

Even Teuchi was impressed. “Such strong chakra—easily jonin-level!”

Ayame, on the other hand, was red-faced, caught up in the drama. “This is so juicy—a love triangle! And Sasuke-kun is so handsome.”

Though young, Sasuke’s protective display left everyone in awe. However, no one was more shocked than Sasuke himself.

As he pushed Naruto away, a notification echoed in his mind:

[Invincible Sign-In System]

[Congratulations! Sign-in successful. You have sealed the Nine-Tails and gained access to its chakra.]

Holy crap. Sasuke stared at his hand in disbelief, then at Naruto, who sat heartbroken on the ground.

‘This system is insane!’ Sasuke thought, touching his eyes. His Sharingan had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He checked his chakra reserves and found they had reached jonin-level strength.

And now, just by pushing Naruto, he had unlocked the Nine-Tails’ chakra. Sasuke wasn’t yet sure how powerful this chakra was, but he knew he had to keep it a secret. At his age, possessing jonin-level chakra and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was already frightening enough. Adding the Nine-Tails’ chakra would make him a prime target.

Hiding his abilities was crucial. Playing weak was a survival skill every transmigrator needed.

Sasuke suppressed his excitement. ‘This system is too powerful!’

Ironically, despite spending the day intimately exploring Sakura, it had been Naruto’s interference that led to the system’s activation.

“Sasuke, are you okay?” Sakura’s bias showed again. Even though Naruto had been the one pushed to the ground, she was concerned about Sasuke.

“Naruto, what were you thinking? Why did you attack my boyfriend?” Sakura scolded, glaring at Naruto.