Kaguya looked up in the direction from which the paper wad had been thrown and saw Sasuke's cool, aloof face. Sasuke glanced at her, then turned his head away, placing his interlaced fingers under his chin on the desk.
So cold, Kaguya thought, feeling goosebumps. If you stop acting cool, we might still be friends. No, even if he stopped, we wouldn't be friends.
Kaguya opened the paper, which contained a few words: "After school, at the field."
Her mouth twitched. She felt immensely frustrated—more like muscle ache than frustration.
Anyone unaware might think it was a note for a date or confession, but she knew it meant he wanted to fight her.
Kaguya casually threw the note into the trash can. Whoever wants to go can go. I'm not your babysitter or sparring partner.
"Today's lesson is on hand seals," Iruka-sensei said from the podium, holding a book. "Does anyone know which seal this is on the blackboard?"
"Naruto, you answer."
"Uh, I don't know."
"Choji, do you know?"
"Teacher, I don't know either."
"Does anyone know? Kaguya, you answer."
"The Water Style: Water Bullet Technique."
"Very correct."
"Next."
After school, Kaguya hid in the restroom for a long time. When she finally came out, the school was deserted. Kaguya sighed; it felt like she was avoiding debt collectors—how annoying.
"Kaguya!"
The sudden voice startled her. She turned around and saw a girl with a side-swept bang and a long ponytail. It was Ino from her class.
"Ino," Kaguya asked curiously, "why haven't you gone home yet?"
"Nothing much. More importantly, are you dating Sasuke?" Ino asked seriously.
"What?" Kaguya was dumbfounded. "Why would you think that?"
"I saw it," Ino said.
"Saw what?" Kaguya was puzzled.
"This." Ino took a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and held it out. It was the note Sasuke had thrown at her during class.
"Oh, that," Kaguya realized. "He probably wants to challenge me to a duel."
"A duel?"
"Yes." Kaguya sighed.
"You're lying," Ino said distrustfully.
"If you don't believe me, I can't help it," Kaguya said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Ino ran up from behind and stood in front of Kaguya. "You need to explain clearly."
"Explain what?" Kaguya was thoroughly annoyed. Dealing with Sasuke was already irritating enough, and now she had to deal with a lovesick girl.
She reached out and grabbed Ino, pulling her close and kissing her.
Ino's eyes widened in shock at Kaguya's action. She froze, stiff as a board, forgetting to push Kaguya away.
After a moment, Kaguya let her go. Ino stood there as if struck by lightning, her eyes vacant like a broken doll.
"Now you know," Kaguya shrugged. "I like women, not men, so stop bothering me." With that, she turned and left.
Ino snapped out of her daze and shouted after Kaguya, "Jerk!" Tears began to well up in her eyes as she squatted down and started crying.
"I guess I made a little girl cry," Kaguya thought with a slight smile as she walked down the road, playing with a strand of her hair. "But I have to admit, that felt pretty nice."
The setting sun's afterglow gradually faded, and the clouds in the sky began to blend into the night. The wind rustled the leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound. The breeze played with Kaguya's long hair, causing it to flutter gently.
Kaguya walked leisurely towards home, noticing someone up ahead. As she got closer, she recognized the blue shirt and white shorts—it was Sasuke.
Her first instinct was to leave; he was incredibly annoying, worse than a fly buzzing around her food.
But Sasuke clearly saw her and started walking straight towards her.
"Are you going to run away like a coward?" Sasuke said coldly, hands in his pockets.
"I'm just not interested in wasting time on something with a predetermined outcome," Kaguya replied with a sneer.
"Don't be so sure. I will defeat you." As soon as Sasuke finished speaking, he threw a shuriken at her.
Kaguya was getting angry. Attacking without warning—did he think she was an easy target? She decided to show Sasuke what she was capable of.
She dodged to the side, and the shuriken embedded themselves in the ground. Sasuke was already in front of her, delivering a spinning kick, but Kaguya deflected it with a palm strike.
The two clashed, like two shadows colliding, sparks flying from their rapid movements.
Sasuke was fast and flexible, his punches powerful.
But Kaguya's Gentle Fist technique was masterful, almost flawless. With her Byakugan, she could see the flow of chakra within Sasuke's body, predicting his moves.
The difference in their abilities was insurmountable. Sasuke began to lose ground in their fight, unable to keep up despite his best efforts.
Finally, Kaguya found an opening. Her palm broke through Sasuke's defenses and struck his chest, sending him flying. But it wasn't over yet.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
A shockwave of chakra blasted from Kaguya's palm, hitting Sasuke in mid-air. He fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
"I told you, you can't beat me," Kaguya said, walking over and looking down at Sasuke.
"Damn it," Sasuke said, struggling to get up, his voice filled with frustration.
"Come back when you think you can actually win. Right now, you're still too weak." Kaguya turned and walked away, ignoring Sasuke.
Am I really that weak? Kaguya's words pierced Sasuke's heart like a knife. He clenched his teeth, pounding the ground with his fist, and watched Kaguya's retreating figure.
I will definitely defeat you.
Walking down the road, Kaguya suddenly sneezed.
Am I catching a cold? she wondered.