As the days passed, Sasuke seemed to have recovered.
But Haruto knew — some wounds may look healed on the outside, but only the person carrying them understands how deep they go. Sasuke's pain wasn't something that could fade so easily.
Still, with Haruto and Naruto at his side, things were undeniably better than before.
And then there was Itachi.
In truth, Itachi was probably the one who had suffered the most. First, he lost Shisui — the one he treated like an older brother. Then, he was forced to kill his own parents... and the one he loved. Worst of all, he had to bear his beloved little brother's hatred in silence.
Thinking about Itachi's tragedy... then Yahiko, Nagato... the heartbreak of Haku, Obito — too many stories soaked in sorrow. The world of Hokage was built on tragedy.
For the first time, Haruto genuinely wanted to change things. He wished for peace — true peace. Without it, this cycle of sorrow would never end.
Looking over at Naruto — who was just making funny faces again — Haruto suddenly had doubts.
Was the peace of the world really in this guy's hands?
Didn't seem all that promising.
Just as Haruto's thoughts were getting deep, something heavy landed on his back — slamming him onto the table.
"Brotheeer~ I missed you sooo much!" Ino whined right into his ear, sounding completely exhausted.
Haruto shivered.
"W-What's going on, Ino? We see each other every day, don't we?"
"That's not the same! You moved in with Sasuke. I can't see you at home anymore," Ino pouted, shooting a smug glance at Sakura.
"Alright, alright. I still come home often, don't I? What's gotten into you, Ino?"
Haruto broke into a nervous sweat. He knew his sister's personality inside out: violent, petty, lazy, and mean when provoked. This gentler tone? Yeah... definitely suspicious. Had he done something wrong lately?
His brain raced.
"I just missed you, that's all," Ino clung to him, eyes still aimed at Sakura like she was staking her claim.
Sakura grit her teeth, practically crackling with jealousy. Damn it, she's using this move again to cling to Haruto !
Finally, the lunch break bell rang.
Haruto got up, ready to drag Naruto to Ichiraku for ramen — but Sakura blocked his way.
"Haruto , wait. Try the bento I made. My mom's been teaching me how to cook, and I ended up making too much."
"Huh? Sakura's homemade food? I wanna try! I wanna try!!" Naruto popped up immediately — only to be punched straight into the floor before he could grab a chopstick.
Haruto blinked. Naruto lay twitching.
Sakura stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Ino glared like she was one second from unleashing murder.
Haruto swallowed. Yeah... something's off.
Still, he ate the bento — and surprisingly, it was really good.
Sakura leaned in. "Is it delicious?"
"It is," Haruto replied, honestly. "I didn't expect you to be this good at cooking."
In an instant, Sakura's eyes narrowed into little crescent moons.
"If it's delicious, then I'll bring you a bento every day from now on, Haruto ."
"T-That's not necessary…" Haruto replied, feeling a cold chill crawl up his spine.
The murderous aura leaking from behind him — unmistakably Ino's.
Finally, something clicked in Haruto brain. Wait. Is this actually happening? Is my charm really this dangerous?
"It's fine," Sakura continued, eyes sparkling. "I make a bento every day anyway, so it's no trouble to make an extra."
"No need. I will make my brother's bento," Ino suddenly stood up and declared, her tone icy.
"Oh? Ino knows how to cook now?" Sakura smiled sweetly. "Wasn't your last attempt at frying an egg… well, charcoal?"
A clean hit. Sakura really knew her enemy's black history.
"Fffllleeehh! I don't need your food anyway, Wide Forehead!" Ino snapped, flustered.
Sakura didn't miss a beat. "If Haruto really ate your dark cuisine, he'd be hospitalized with food poisoning. Inobo."
"Broad Brow!"
"Piglet!"
"That, uh, that's my cue to leave!" Haruto activated the substitution technique and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Girls' arguments are a battlefield worse than anything else… even ten dungeon bosses would be easier. And weren't they supposed to like Sasuke? When did this shift happen?
Oh, right.
Naruto.
Haruto still didn't know how to explain Naruto's whole… everything.
Since then, Haruto's daily life took a sharp turn for the worse. He was constantly caught in the crossfire of girl drama. Meanwhile, Sasuke, with his expressionless face and cold vibe, had successfully developed an aura that repelled female attention like a barrier jutsu.
Is that why Sasuke acts like that? To avoid this chaos? That face might be hiding enlightenment…
As more time passed, a ray of hope finally shone through.
Hinata. With no fan club glued to her for once, Haruto saw his chance. He could finally go on a peaceful date with her.
Until—"Brother, will you accompany me tomorrow?" Ino's big, pitiful eyes looked up at him like a lost puppy.
Haruto sighed. She was his sister. He couldn't say no. "Alright—nope."
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
Wait. Hinata asked me to go with her tomorrow… "Sorry, I have something important to do tomorrow. Really can't."
"…Tomorrow is the summer festival. What could be more important than that?" Ino pouted, clearly not convinced.
Summer festival?! Haruto froze. He hadn't even realized the date. He never cared for things like that. But… summer festivals mean kimonos.
Hinata… in a kimono… A rare smile crept across Haruto face. "It's very important," he said again, more firmly.
Early the next morning, Haruto stood in front of the mirror. Wearing a sleek men's kimono, his hair neatly arranged. He tilted his head and admired his reflection. "…As expected, a handsome guy looks good in anything."
Walking down the street, Haruto noticed that even though it was still early, the festive atmosphere had already taken over.
This world's summer festival was different from the one in his previous life's Country R, but many things felt familiar — food stalls, decorations, music, laughter.
Konoha, though a military village, clearly outpaced other places in terms of lifestyle and prosperity. Their festivals were no exception.
Normally, a festival like this would bring in merchants from other villages, but of course, Konoha wasn't a place where outsiders could just walk in.
"Mr. Kakashi? You're… running a stall?"
Kakashi, seated behind a table, didn't even look up. "Unlucky draw. I was picked by lottery. Feel free to take whatever you like."
Then, head still buried in his little orange book, he resumed reading.
It's really not easy being a ninja, Haruto thought.
As he walked through the festival, Haruto greeted familiar faces, each one waving back or chatting cheerfully. Only in Konoha could a military village feel this warm and, well... silly.
And honestly? Haruto liked it that way.
Eventually, he arrived at the place he and Hinata had agreed to meet.
There she was — standing quietly beneath a tree, dressed in a pure white kimono patterned with soft blue accents. Haruto paused! As expected… Hinata in a kimono is just as beautiful as I imagined.
There was a quiet grace to her —likely the result of growing up in a noble clan —but more than that, Hinata's natural shyness and sincerity seemed to make her kimono glow even brighter.
Haruto couldn't look away. He walked toward her slowly, eyes never leaving her.
Hinata blushed the moment she noticed, lowering her head and twiddling her fingers.
"You look… really beautiful in that kimono, Hinata," Haruto said gently.
"Th-thank you…" she murmured, her face turning even redder.
Even after so many dates, she still gets shy like this just from a compliment… Haruto felt a warmth in his chest. This is exactly why I like her. Who wouldn't fall for someone so pure?
He reached out and took her hand softly.
She trembled just a little — but didn't pull away.
"Let's go play, Hinata."
The village was full of life today. "I think Iruka-sensei set up a goldfish scooping stall."
"I even saw Mr. Kakashi running a shop. Can you believe that? Let me tell you—"
Haruto kept talking as they walked, Hinata listening quietly, nodding along. She didn't speak much — but Haruto didn't mind at all.
When you're with someone you like, even the simplest things feel fun. Even silence is comfortable.
Suddenly, a familiar voice broke in. "Wow~ Haruto actually has a girlfriend now. He's really grown up." Another voice chimed in. "Haruto , is this your girlfriend? You two look great together!" "Come on, take this—blessings for a long, happy life together!"
Along the way, Haruto's good popularity was on full display. Stall owners, villagers, even random passersby offered warm smiles, small trinkets, and words of blessing.
Being blessed like this, with the girl he loved by his side, gave Haruto a feeling he couldn't quite describe—warm, steady, and undeniably happy.
He glanced at Hinata beside him. She was smiling too, clutching the small charm someone had given her, cheeks still a little pink. She looked truly joyful. That made Haruto feel even more content.
In his previous life, such blessings might've seemed out of place—what kind of adult blesses two ten-year-olds dating? But in this world, where children go to war and life can be uncertain, those small blessings carried a weight that felt... appropriate.
"Haruto, this is—"
Before Hinata could finish her sentence, they turned a corner and unexpectedly ran into two familiar figures.
"Mom. Dad." Haruto blinked.
Asaka raised an eyebrow, glancing between them.
"His name is Hinata," Haruto said firmly, "and she's my girlfriend."
Hinata froze. Then quickly bowed. "Ah—hello, Auntie, Uncle!"
Asaka smiled gently, giving Hinata an approving look. "It's really not easy. You even hid this from your mother, huh?"
Inoichi laughed. "He takes after me. I also had your mother wrapped around my finger when I was about your age."
Asaka's smile twitched. "What nonsense are you saying in front of the children—?"
"Ah—ow ow ow! I was wrong!" Inoichi cried, rubbing his ribs.
After saying goodbye to Haruto's parents, the two continued wandering the festival.
Haruto occasionally fed Hinata bits of sweet dango, or helped her scoop goldfish—though she was terrible at it. They laughed together, forgetting the world for a while.
But behind them, something was stirring.
A certain group of little tails had been following closely.
"I didn't expect the boss to have this kind of side," Naruto muttered, his mouth stuffed with cotton candy. "Since the boss has a girl now, maybe Sakura—"
WHAM!
Sakura's punch sent him flying.
"Damn it! He took the lead! No way! Haruto is mine!" Sakura said through gritted teeth.
"What are you talking about, wide forehead? My brother is obviously mine!" Ino crossed her arms, seething. "So the 'important thing' today was this date? I'm going to lose it!"
"Women are so troublesome," Shikamaru sighed from behind. "Don't you think so?"
"Kacha kacha." Choji continued munching.
"Don't just agree while eating!" Naruto groaned, getting up with a bruised cheek.
"Idiot." Sasuke's cool voice dropped in.
"What did you say, bastard Sasuke?!"
"Idiot."
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the disaster tailing them, Haruto and Hinata wandered into a quiet corner of the village.
The crowd had thinned, the lantern light was softer, and the evening breeze brought a subtle fragrance of flowers from the nearby fields.
Haruto paused. Then, slowly, he lowered his head. Hinata's eyes widened—but then she gently closed them, cheeks burning red, fingers tightly gripping the charm in her hand.
And then—
Bang! Bang bang!
"Choji, why are you pushing me?!"
"I didn't push you! Someone else pushed me!"
Sakura and Ino stared at each other in horror. A dozen kids spilled into the quiet street at once. Haruto's face twitched. The atmosphere… completely ruined.
Hinata was so embarrassed she nearly collapsed into a ball.
Since that day, just as Haruto feared, Hinata became a target of endless teasing—and the quiet jealousy of other girls. Because of that Haruto had no choice—he had to sit next to Hinata.
Followed immediately by Ino on his other side… and then Sakura. Haruto was not Sasuke. He couldn't just coldly tell them to leave. Especially when one of them was his little sister. And as for Sakura—well, she was Sakura. So Haruto could only endure silently, crushed between three girls, his peace completely shattered.
Why call it suffering? Three bentos. Three scarves. And worst of all—Ino and Sakura arguing non-stop. One poking at the other, voice rising with every insult. Bickering like it was a full-time job.
Haruto sighed deeply. They say three women make a drama. This drama didn't need a script—It wrote itself.
"Why… is my life like this…" Haruto muttered as he took a bite of his fourth rice ball.
He wasn't even sure whose bento it was anymore. It's time for this kind of day to end.