"Naruto, you did really well this time, and we all saw the effort you've been putting in, keep it up, okay? Don't pull pranks just to get attention anymore." Iruka spoke earnestly as he patted Naruto's head, a faint smile on his lips.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"
Naruto nodded vigorously and then, seeing Sasuke lowering his clasped hands, suddenly laughed, "Sasuke, you clapped for me just now, didn't you?"
"No, you saw wrong." Sasuke turned his head away, his cheeks slightly red.
He felt embarrassed.
Because he had indeed clapped.
Strangely enough, he himself didn't know why he felt compelled to clap for Naruto Uzumaki, a guy he deemed annoying, but seeing Naruto's smile, he felt an impulse.
"Don't hide it! I saw it!" Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed.
"There was nothing to see," Sasuke insisted on his point of view.
"Well, whatever." Naruto chuckled and strolled past Sasuke, returning to his seat to tell Sakura, "Look, Sakura, I got 61 points!"
