𝐊𝐎𝐊𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 | 𝐍.𝐔𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈

[19]

Asami let out a dismissive tsk as she walked away from Eisuke, refusing to engage in his relentless questioning about her supposed attack on Hinata. She rolled her eyes at his persistence, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"I didn't attack her," Asami replied coolly. "I strategically aimed my attack towards her, knowing that my brother would come to her defense. It was a calculated move to provoke him." She shrugged indifferently. "Did she run to you and spill everything?"

Eisuke's frustration was evident as he growled at the Hyuga girl. "I had to coax her into telling me what you did to her," he admitted, his voice filled with concern for his friend.

"Oh," Asami nonchalantly shrugged, brushing off his words as she continued walking towards Ichiraku Ramen store. She couldn't be bothered with justifying her actions to someone like Eisuke. "Asami! I know you have your issues with Neji, but leave Hinata out of it!" he called after her, his plea falling on deaf ears.

Asami stopped in her tracks, her jaw clenched, as she turned to face her teammate. Her gaze bore into him, her eyes filled with a mix of defiance and anger. "How about you and Neji train her to be strong, so I won't have to be able to destroy the Hyuga clan," she spat, her words laced with disdain. Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Eisuke to sigh in frustration.

As she made her way towards Ichiraku Ramen, Asami bumped into Naruto, their chance encounter causing her cheerful smile to spread across her face. She was about to rush over and engulf him in a tight hug, her happiness evident, but Naruto suddenly froze in place. His blue eyes landed on the scar on her stomach, and his demeanor shifted from joyous anticipation to a stoic expression.

Confusion filled Asami's eyes as she watched Naruto's reaction. His sudden change in demeanor caught her off guard, and she took a step back, her outstretched arms faltering. She stumbled slightly on the uneven ground before regaining her balance, her gaze still fixed on Naruto's now impassive face.

The atmosphere between them felt heavy, the unspoken tension palpable. Asami couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, a fleeting moment of hurt that crossed her features. She wondered what had caused this sudden change in Naruto's demeanor, why he had pulled back just as she was about to embrace him.

Unsure of how to proceed, Asami waited for Naruto to break the silence, her eyes searching his face for any sign of what was going through his mind. But as he finally spoke, his words cut through the air with a tone of seriousness and accusation.

"Wanna go get some ramen? I'm starving," she suggested, trying to bring back the cheerful atmosphere between them.

"I don't feel like it," he murmured in a monotone, his gaze fixed ahead, avoiding her eyes.

Asami felt a knot form in her stomach at his cold response. She couldn't understand why Naruto was acting so distant and detached all of a sudden. She walked closer to him and nudged him playfully, hoping to ease the tension.

"Come on, you're finally back," she said with a hint of a smile, "you told me we would have ramen together once you're back."

Naruto startled when she became closer to him and impulsively took a step away from her, flinching at the contact. The action caught Asami off guard, and a frown formed on her face. She could feel a growing sense of unease in her heart, as if something had shifted between them.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice tinged with vulnerability as she searched for his eyes, desperately seeking some understanding.

"Did I do something wrong?" she continued, her worry evident in her voice.

Naruto finally looked at her with eyes that made her even more anxious. She had never seen him look at her like this before, distant and guarded. "You're scaring me," she admitted, taking a step towards him, trying to bridge the emotional gap between them. "Just talk to me, please."

"Tell me why..." Naruto spoke up in a rather serious tone, his eyes never leaving hers. "Why exactly did you come back to the village all of a sudden instead of training with pervy sage and me?"

Asami's heart skipped a beat, feeling a pang of guilt rise within her. She knew she couldn't lie to Naruto, not now. "I told you, didn't I? Tsunade-sama summoned me for a mission," she replied, her voice wavering slightly.

"Really? You still have the guts to lie to me," he snapped, his frustration and hurt evident in his tone. "Pervy sage told me everything," he went on, his voice tinged with sadness. "How I almost killed you and how you needed to stay away from me, so you returned to the village."

Asami's heart sank at his words, realizing that Jiraiya had revealed the truth to Naruto about her past near-death experience. She wanted to explain herself, to make him understand her decision, but the words caught in her throat.

"That's how you got the scars, isn't it?" he said, pointing at the scars on her stomach. She instinctively moved to cover them, but he was too quick. "I trusted you," he continued, his voice cracking with emotion. "I thought you were getting stronger so we could train together and go on missions together."

"Naruto," Asami said softly, trying to reach out to him, but he flinched at her touch, taking a step back.

"It wasn't your fault," she said, her heart breaking at the pain in his eyes.

"That chakra... is a poison to you... I am a poison to you..." he whispered, his voice filled with self-loathing.

"No, you're not!" Asami pleaded, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "If you're a poison to me, I wouldn't be able to touch you." She reached out again to grab his cheek gently, but he quickly smacked her hand away from his face.

"Don't you get it?!" Naruto snapped, his emotions getting the better of him, causing her to flinch. "I could hurt you, Asami. I could lose control again and it could kill you."

Asami quickly shook her head, refusing to accept his self-blame. "It won't happen again," she said, her voice trembling with conviction.

"We can figure this out together, Naruto. We can find a way for you to control it."

"Just... just leave me alone," he said in a demanding tone, the pain in his eyes evident. He turned away from her, his body tense, and began to walk away, disappearing into the distance.

Asami was left standing there, her heart heavy with sorrow and regret. She felt like she had failed him, like she couldn't be the person he needed her to be. She wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, but he had pushed her away. The weight of their strained relationship hung heavily in the air, leaving her feeling more alone than ever.