Chapter 119 All About Loving Sakura
In order to inform them, Shikamaru's squad did their best to clear a path for Yamanaka Ino, allowing her to track down the escaped Sakon.
Yamanaka Ino originally intended to use the Mind Transfer Technique to control him, but unexpectedly, Sakon awakened Ukon behind him. One against two, she was definitely no match for him, so Yamanaka Ino quickly returned to her body and escaped.
The ill-tempered Sakon not only let her go, but also followed her at a leisurely pace, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"As expected of Orochimaru's subordinate, he has the same wicked personality as Orochimaru."
Haruko Hayama squatted helplessly on the ground, with Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, who had entered the base to inform them, on either side of her.
Knowing that Yamanaka Ino and her teammates who were searching for documents were inside, Sakon attacked the base with his fists, causing the basement to shake and many stones to fall down, trapping the three of them in the room.
Then he hummed a song and strolled leisurely around the base, as if he were playing hide-and-seek with them.
Judging from his actions, Orochimaru probably didn't want them to take them back for research, but rather to destroy them directly.
This is probably just the enemy's twisted sense of humor—trapping them underground so they can either starve or be found...
Yamanaka Ino sighed deeply, "I never imagined that I would die alongside Sakura."
"I don't want to die with an ugly monster like you!" Sakura Haruno retorted.
Haruko Hayama, caught in the middle: Sigh...
The enemy is probably still wandering around outside. They'd better stay here and not act rashly.
To ease the tension, Haruko Hayama brought up the topic: "I heard that Sakura and Ino used to be good friends, how come your relationship is so bad now?"
"Huh? Who's friends with her!" Yamanaka Ino scoffed.
Sakura Haruno gave a forced smile, "Being friends with her is practically my dark history."
Haruko sighed, "Is there anyone who can give me a serious answer?"
Seeing that Ino Yamanaka turned her head away and didn't want to talk, Sakura Haruno had no choice but to recall, "When I was a child, I was teased by them because of my wide forehead, so I was always very self-conscious. At that time, Ino found me and gave me a ribbon to show my forehead."
"After that, we often played together, but... later we both fell for the same person, and neither of us wanted to lose to the other, so..."
Haruko Kayama chimed in, "So you two broke up?"
Yamanaka Ino snorted, "I shouldn't have gone to you out of pity. I should have let you continue to be weak and be laughed at to death."
Sakura Haruno's forehead veins bulged as she said, "I'm so sorry for being so weak!"
Haruko thought about it carefully. Although she didn't know Sakura Haruno very well, based on Ino Yamanaka's attitude, she guessed, "Is the person you like Sasuke?"
Despite it being true, both of them felt inexplicably embarrassed to respond when Haruko Hayama stared at them with that gossipy gaze.
"I see..." Haruko's thoughts drifted to another angle, "Sasuke is actually that popular? But in terms of looks, Shikamaru and Naruto aren't inferior to him, are they?"
"Huh?" ×2
Yamanaka Ino was shocked. She wanted to grab Hayama Haruko's shoulders and shake her violently, telling her not to have such a biased view of those guys!
Sakura Haruno's lips twitched slightly. "Haruko's tastes are quite unique."
Seeing their reaction, Haruko Hayama rarely reflected on herself, but no matter how she thought about it, the golden retriever and the lazy deer were just so cute!
"Then why do you like Sasuke?" Haruko Hayama asked, revealing her own past.
Yamanaka Ino boasted, "Is that even a question? Of course it's because Sasuke is handsome, has a cool personality, and is a genius boy from the Uchiha clan!"
Sakura Haruno then added, "And a lot of girls at school like him. I heard he likes girls with long hair, so everyone is growing their hair long."
"What a simple reason," Haruko Hayama remarked. "But isn't it just admiration? It's not genuine affection that means wanting to be with the other person forever."
"Why did Haruko say that?" Yamanaka Ino looked at her, slightly taken aback.
"For example, I like Ino, whether Ino has long hair or short hair I like her, I like your cheerful smile, I like the scene of you surrounded by flowers, I like you looking at me, I like you being my friend."
Yamanaka Ino stared into Hayama Haruko's dark eyes, her cheeks gradually burning as Hayama Haruko's words, which sounded like a confession, came out. When Hayama Haruko smiled at her after she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head to hide her disheveled state.
Haruko asked in confusion: Is Ino feeling unwell?
Upon hearing Haruko Hayama's feelings for Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno stared at them in a daze, a vague and unsettling emotion rising within her.
She used to be a good friend of Ino, and she admired Ino's confidence and generosity, feeling that she was lucky to have such a friend.
But without realizing it, the person standing next to Ino was no longer herself...
"I like Sakura too!"
Haruko suddenly turned to look at her, and Sakura Haruno paused when she heard her own name.
"When I was little, I often watched Sakura. Back then, you had short, cherry blossom-colored hair. Why did you change yourself for someone else?"
"Those who truly like Sakura will like your short hair, your forehead, your determination, and everything about you."
"Sakura, you should look at yourself more!"
Meeting her gaze, which was filled with tiny, bright lights, Sakura Haruno couldn't help but be drawn in, staring straight at her.
The surrounding light was dim, but she felt that Haruko's brilliance overshadowed everything else.
Even Ino only allowed her to show her forehead to resist their ridicule, but Haruko gave her a completely different meaning. Because of Ino's presence as a comparison, she once felt that she could never compare to Ino.
It turns out, it wasn't that she wasn't dazzling enough, but rather that she had never truly appreciated herself...
"Sakura...?"
Haruko felt lost in the morning. She hadn't expected that after she finished speaking, Sakura Haruno's eyes would slowly well up with tears, yet she was still staring at her in a daze.
Amused by her panicked expression, Haruno Sakura wiped away her tears and gave her a bright smile.
"Thank you, Haruko!"
Seeing that she was alright, Haruko breathed a sigh of relief, but she still couldn't figure out how she had made her cry.
Suddenly, Yamanaka Ino reached out and put his arm around her neck, pulling her towards him.
"I'm telling you, I'm your best friend! I can get jealous!"
Despite saying this, Yamanaka Ino's tone was joking. After receiving Haruko Hayama's pleas for mercy, she looked through Haruko Hayama at Sakura Haruno, who had been watching them from behind.
When their eyes met, Sakura Haruno paused.
Yamanaka Ino's eyes were both familiar and strange, like the encouraging look that had saved her when she was a child, and also... a wary look.
Sakura Haruno was the first to look away. Was it because she thought she was childish, or...?
Feeling guilty.
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