"Wow, Forehead Girl actually pulled that off!"
Ino raised a brow and smirked, then teased Naruto with a wink. "Unlike that yellow-haired idiot who face-planted without even noticing the enemy's attack. Lame."
Naruto, who had been ready to shout Sakura-chan is so cool!, froze up, his face flushing red.
"Shut up! That doesn't count! I just… I just hadn't warmed up yet. Yeah, that's it! A small fry like that clown-faced guy would be easy for me to crush!"
"I wouldn't say that," Itsuki walked over, resting a hand on Naruto's shoulder with a calm smile.
"Winning is winning. Losing is losing. If you lose, admit it, learn, and make sure you win next time. Girls don't like guys who act tough for no reason."
"That's right!" Karin chimed in, sticking her tongue out at Naruto.
"Eh? Is that really true?" Naruto wanted to argue, but Itsuki was the first to give him advice without mocking him.
The sincerity cut through his usual stubbornness.
Then Naruto's brain caught up. "Wait—Itsuki?! Ino?! And who's the red-haired girl?!"
"...Naruto-kun…" Hinata's soft voice came from the back. He hadn't even noticed her.
"More importantly," Itsuki sighed, "eyes front."
"Oh crap! Sakura-chan!" Naruto spun back toward the fight.
Sakura's genjutsu had gone off successfully—Kankuro and Temari both froze for a moment, their eyes glazing over.
Konohamaru slipped halfway free from Kankuro's grip.
"Yes!" Sakura clenched her fist and threw up a victory sign.
But her celebration was cut short. Kankuro's hand shot back, grabbing Konohamaru again.
"Too naive," Kankuro sneered. "You think such a childish trick would work on me?"
In truth, he knew it was close. For those brief seconds he'd been caught.
If Sakura had pressed her attack then, he'd have been in real danger.
Still, the genjutsu was only D-rank—barely a second of disruption. Kankuro recovered, grinning to cover his shaken nerves.
Temari, playing along, snapped out of it as well, chuckling under her breath.
"Damn it…" Kankuro's pride stung when he caught Temari's smirk.
Then his eyes hardened. He looked down at Konohamaru with disdain. "You know, I hate short brats the most. Maybe I should crush you first. Then I'll deal with that loudmouthed girl."
Konohamaru's eyes went wide as Kankuro drew back his fist.
"Naruto, do something!" Sakura shouted, panicked.
Naruto sprinted, but he was too slow. Even if he reached them, his current skill couldn't stop it.
Sakura prepared to intervene too, but her failed genjutsu had thrown off her timing.
Itsuki had intended to sit this one out.
He'd already sensed Sasuke lurking nearby, chakra tightly coiled, waiting for his cue.
"So you're waiting for me to move first, huh?" Itsuki thought, glancing toward Sasuke's hiding spot.
Ino, Hinata, and Karin stayed back without question. With Itsuki here, it wasn't their turn to step in.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Itsuki appeared beside Temari.
Before she could react, he tugged at the four wild ponytails tied behind her head.
"Hey, Clown boy," Itsuki grinned. "Your buddy's in my hands now."
"What?!" Kankuro froze, fist hovering inches from Konohamaru's face.
The force of the swing had already blown the boy's cheeks sideways, but now Kankuro's hand trembled in midair, cold sweat dripping down his temple.
"Y-you bastard!" Before he could recover, Naruto barreled in, completely clueless about what had just happened.
He socked Kankuro in the jaw, knocking him flat and freeing Konohamaru.
"Konohamaru! You okay?!" Naruto knelt, fussing over him.
"Waaah! Big Brother Naruto, you're useless!" Konohamaru bawled, clutching Naruto's shirt. "I trusted you! I almost died just now!"
"Wha—hey! I saved you!" Naruto protested desperately. "Didn't you see me knock him away?!"
"You didn't save me!" Konohamaru wailed louder. "Don't think you can trick me just because I'm a kid!"
"Yeah!" Moegi and Udon chorused from the corner. "Even if we were scared stiff, we saw everything! It wasn't you!"
"Arghhh!" Naruto clutched his head in despair.
Meanwhile, Kankuro staggered up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
His humiliation was boiling over. But when he turned, his jaw nearly dropped.
Temari stood there, cheeks flushed, head bowed. She hadn't resisted Itsuki at all.
Kankuro knew—she wasn't under a genjutsu. She was just letting it happen.
And all Itsuki had done was tug her hair.
"Y-you assholes! What the hell are you doing?!" Kankuro shouted, eyes bulging.
Temari snapped out of it, realizing how it must have looked.
She quickly retreated to her brother's side, trying to hide her burning face.
But her thoughts betrayed her.
So this is Konoha's soil and water… The men here are way more handsome than the ones in the Wind Country. Compared to him, even my brother's a joke.
Her blush deepened. What a good man. And strong, too…
Kankuro noticed her sidelong glances and nearly exploded with rage.
She's seriously falling for him?! After I got beaten up?!
Itsuki, completely unconcerned, had already walked back to Karin.
The girls praised him nonstop, while Konohamaru and his friends stared up at him with awe.
Kankuro snapped. With a loud thud, he dropped the bulky package from his back onto the ground.
"You bastard! I'll show you what happens when you humiliate me!" He began unwrapping the puppet's bindings.
"Wait, you're not gonna use Crow, are you?!" Temari hissed, alarmed. "Kankuro, stop it!"
But Kankuro wasn't listening. Forget Konohamaru—his real problem now was Itsuki.
Even if it meant revealing his secret weapon early, he was determined to make Itsuki pay.
"Stop it, Kankuro. Don't embarrass me further."
The cold, commanding voice silenced the street.
Gaara of the Sand stood upside down on a tree branch, glaring down at them with killing intent.
On another branch, crouched nearby but completely unnoticed until now, Sasuke's eyes widened.
He hadn't even sensed Gaara's presence.
"G-Gaara…" Kankuro stammered, trembling. His whole body locked up under his brother's murderous aura.
Gaara landed soundlessly, his sand curling around him.
"I apologize for the trouble," he said, turning toward Itsuki and the others.
His voice was calm, but the insincerity was impossible to miss.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
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