Chapter 87 - 17

Chapter 17: Many Wives, Much Fortune! School Festival!No scheming, no smoke of war; several months had passed in the blink of an eye.At this moment, cherry blossoms bloomed like clouds, and the entire Ninja Academy was immersed in the lively atmosphere of the annual school festival.For the children of the Ninja Academy, this was a day they looked forward to even more than the graduation exams.For three whole days, there were no classes, only celebrations, performances, and endless laughter."So, our class has decided to perform this!"In the classroom, Uzumaki Naruto stood on the podium, waving the script that Nara Shikamaru had stayed up all night writing.On the cover were a few large characters: "Legend of the God of Shinobi — Bonds Arc".Off the podium, the students had mixed reactions."The story of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara…" Ino Yamanaka rested her chin on her hand, "That sounds very romantic."Sakura Haruno's eyes lit up: "Conflict, reconciliation, and building Konoha together! That is true Ninja romance!"Inuzuka Kiba yawned: "Whatever, I'm just playing a summon animal anyway…"Shino Aburame adjusted his sunglasses: "According to the data, the winning rate for drama programs at the school festival over the years is 37%, and historical themes account for…""Stop, stop, stop!" Uzumaki Naruto interrupted Shino Aburame's data bombardment, "Anyway, the character assignments are out! I'll announce them."He cleared his throat: "Senju Hashirama — Uzumaki Naruto!"A chorus of "I knew it" echoed through the class.After all, with his golden hair, sunny smile, and that aura that inexplicably made people want to get close to him, Uzumaki Naruto was indeed the best choice."Uchiha Madara," Uzumaki Naruto paused deliberately, looking toward the corner of the classroom, "Uchiha Sasuke!"Everyone's gaze turned in unison toward Uchiha Sasuke. He had been looking out the window, but upon hearing this, he turned his head, his brows slightly furrowed: "I refuse.""Why?" Sakura Haruno asked immediately."Boring." Uchiha Sasuke spat out the two words and turned back around.Uzumaki Naruto jumped off the podium, walked to Uchiha Sasuke's desk, bent down, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Hey, Uchiha Sasuke. Don't you want to play the'Strongest Uchiha'? The script has a battle scene where you are evenly matched with Senju Hashirama. Plus,"He winked: "During the final curtain call, we can have a real fight. I promise I won't hold back."Uchiha Sasuke's eyelashes fluttered. He slowly turned his head back, his black eyes staring at Uzumaki Naruto: "…Are you serious?""Of course." Uzumaki Naruto grinned, "But if you lose, you have to treat me to three-color dango."The classroom was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.Everyone held their breath, watching the two strongest boys in the class.Finally, Uchiha Sasuke gave a soft huff: "…Whatever.""Great! Then it's settled!" Uzumaki Narutostraightened up, smiling brightly, "Next character, Uzumaki Mito.""Me!" "Me!" Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka raised their hands at the same time. The two locked eyes, and invisible sparks ignited in the air.For the following week, the class was filled with unprecedented energy.Basically, after school every day, everyone would stay behind to rehearse.As the director and screenwriter, Nara Shikamaru, despite constantly complaining that it was "such a drag," was exceptionally serious when giving guidance."Uzumaki Naruto, you're smiling too stupidly! Senju Hashirama is bold and heroic, not a fool!""Uchiha Sasuke, can you soften your expression a little? Uchiha Madara isn't a stone-faced statue!""Ino Yamanaka! Sakura Haruno! You two are playing the same person! Don't improvise or steal each other's lines!"The most surprising group was the props team.Hyuga Hinata was in charge of costumes and prop production; usually shy and introverted, she seemed like a different person when she picked up a needle, thread, or paintbrush."Naruto-kun, this is your haori. I modified it by referencing the patterns of the Uzumaki Clan…""Uchiha Sasuke-kun, I redrew the Uchiha fan pattern. Do you think this curve is okay?""Tenten-san, the Ninja tool props you need are already done. They're all made of wood; they're very light but look quite realistic…"Tenten took the wooden shuriken handed over by Hyuga Hinata, her eyes lighting up: "Hyuga Hinata! You're amazing! This craftsmanship is even better than what they sell in the shops!"Even Sai, who was always a loner, was assigned the role of narrator. He would always sit alone in the corner, silently reciting his lines, occasionally looking up and observing the lively scene around him with those calm, waveless eyes."Hey, Sai." During a break in rehearsals, Uzumaki Naruto handed him a bottle of water, "How are your lines coming along?"Sai took the water and said softly: "…They're ready. Thank you.""Don't be nervous." Uzumaki Naruto sat down next to him, "Although the narrator doesn't have any action scenes, it's very important. The connection of the whole story depends on you."Sai looked at Uzumaki Naruto, wanting to say something but hesitating, and finally lowered his head: "…Yeah."However, on the fifth day of rehearsals, a small accident occurred.According to the script, the climax was the showdown at the Valley of the End.Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke needed to complete a taijutsu confrontation on a temporarily constructed "cliff.""3, 2, 1, start!"Uzumaki Naruto rushed toward Uchiha Sasuke, and the two traded blows. Although it was just a rehearsal, their movements were so fast that the other students were dazzled."So amazing…" Inuzuka Kiba muttered, "But are they really just rehearsing?"Just as Uzumaki Naruto was supposed to be "repelled" by Uchiha Sasuke according to the script, Uchiha Sasuke suddenly added a bit more strength.Obviously, this wasn't required by the script.Uzumaki Naruto reacted extremely quickly, turning to the side to deflect the force, but the wooden "cliff" under his feet let out an unbearable creaking sound."Watch out!" Hyuga Hinata exclaimed.The wooden board snapped.Uzumaki Naruto lost his balance and fell backward; below was the storage area piled with props."Uzumaki Naruto!" Several voices rang out at the same time.But the first to move was Uchiha Sasuke. Almost instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Uzumaki Naruto's wrist, pulling hard.The two fell onto the mat together, Uzumaki Naruto on the bottom and Uchiha Sasuke on top.The whole room fell silent.Uchiha Sasuke braced himself, his black hair hanging down, almost brushing against Uzumaki Naruto's face. Their eyes met, and they were close enough to feel each other's breath."You…" Uchiha Sasuke spoke first, his voice slightly hoarse, "Why didn't you dodge just now?"Uzumaki Naruto smiled: "Because in the script, I can't dodge this move.""Are you an idiot?" Uchiha Sasuke cursed under his breath, pushed himself up to stand, and reached out a hand to Uzumaki Naruto.Uzumaki Naruto grabbed his hand and stood up, brushing the dust off himself: "But that extra force you added just now was good. It really had the aura of Uchiha Madara."Uchiha Sasuke turned his face away: "…Annoying."The watching students only then reacted.