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You can now get early access to Chapter 103 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my . You can also read up to Chapter 34 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
Reika kept hugging Naruto, her face buried in his neck, breathing with difficulty, as if she feared that if she let go, everything would disappear.
Naruto was still on the ground, with Reika on top of him, her face close, her warm breath brushing his skin.
"Reika…" Naruto murmured, his gaze trembling between confusion and desire. "I can't… I can't leave Hinata. I love her."
Naruto was surprised by his own words. It was the first time he had said something like that out loud, and Hinata wasn't there to hear it.
Although, on second thought, given their position, maybe it was better that she wasn't.
Reika clenched her teeth upon hearing him. Her expression hardened for a moment, hurt.
She lowered her gaze, her hair falling over her face like a curtain hiding her shame.
"I see…" she murmured, her voice low, almost broken.
Naruto slowly sat up, worried. "Reika…"
"What irony…" she said quietly, not daring to meet his eyes. "You finally see me as a woman, I start to feel that I finally exist for you… but it seems it's already too late."
Naruto swallowed hard. "It's not that it's too late, but that…"
Naruto had never been in such a difficult position in his life.
He felt the words escape from his mouth, disappearing into the air.
His mind was blank, barely knowing what to say in that situation.
It was then that Reika interrupted him, raising her voice slightly.
"So what then…?" she turned toward him with a hurt look. "Do you like me or not? Do I matter to you or not? Because if you only see me as a friend, tell me now and I'll end this. I'll ignore my feelings and we'll go back to being friends, and we'll never talk about this…"
Naruto didn't respond immediately. He looked at her, his heart pounding hard. Reika's expression, vulnerable and on the verge of tears, shook him inside.
"…Yes, you matter to me, Reika. Much more than you imagine…"
She stayed still, as if those words had pierced her heart.
"But I can't betray Hinata. It wouldn't be fair to her. Nor to you."
Naruto's gaze changed to one of determination.
He didn't want to hurt either of them.
Reika lowered her gaze again, taking a deep breath.
And then, without warning, a memory emerged from her mind.
Reika was sitting in her house garden, in the Uchiha Complex.
The sunset dyed the sky orange when her mother, Mikoto, approached with two cups of tea and a gentle smile.
"I'm just resting after training all day with that effeminate teacher…" she replied, shrugging.
Mikoto looked at her daughter with an amused smile. "You can't fool your mother, dear. You were thinking about Naruto."
Reika visibly blushed upon hearing her mother's words.
Mikoto, seeing her in that state, knew she was right and sat beside her.
"Love doesn't always come as we want, daughter. Sometimes we're not the first. Sometimes, not even the second. But if it's true, if there's something real… it's worth fighting for."
"But he's already with someone else," Reika said, her tone full of bitterness.
"So? Does that mean there's no place for you in his heart?" Mikoto gently stroked her hair. "If you can't be the first, make sure you're not the last. Hinata already won, taking the first place; don't let anyone else take it. That Karin might be clever, but you have something she doesn't."
Reika frowned imagining her life, sharing Naruto with other women, and shook her head.
Her chest hurt just imagining it.
But hearing her mother's words, she felt curious.
"How so? I'm not even as feminine as they are…"
"The blood of the Uchiha… and my blessing." Mikoto grinned from ear to ear. "Fight. Earn your place. Make him love you so much he can't imagine his life without you. And if you can't beat Hinata…"
Reika looked at her, frowning.
"…make sure to stay right behind. Not a step lower."
"But Mom! That's not what I want…!"
"And when that happens…" Mikoto winked at her. "Give me lots of grandchildren, okay? I want to see Kushina biting her elbows in envy seeing my dear girl beat her protegée, Karin."
"Mommm!!" Reika shouted, red as a tomato, covering her face.
The memory faded, but the warmth on Reika's cheeks remained.
Reika took a deep breath and looked up at Naruto, determined.
"I don't like being the second choice," she said firmly. "But I'm not stupid. I know what I feel for you, and I know that you… no longer see me just as a friend."
Naruto stayed still, caught by her dark, intense eyes.
"So… if you can't leave Hinata," Reika continued, softer, "then accept me too."
She leaned in slowly, placing a hand on his chest, feeling the fast heartbeat beneath his shirt.
"Just promise me one thing…"
Naruto swallowed hard, still not knowing what was going on in Reika's mind to accept something like that. "What?"
"Love me just like you love her…"
Naruto looked at her with a mixture of admiration and amazement.
It wasn't clumsy or impulsive. It was slow, intense. Filled with new and old feelings, emotions that finally found their course.
When they parted, Reika gasped softly, unable to stop looking at him.
Naruto stood up, saying nothing, and easily lifted her in his arms.
She blushed immediately. "W-what are you…?" she stammered, surprised.
Naruto held her firmly, not letting go, his blue eyes fixed on her black ones.
Naruto brought his forehead close to hers, letting out a deep, sincere sigh.
"No matter how complicated it is, what I feel for you is true, Reika."
She looked at him, her heart pounding fast, and gave a small smile.
"Then… let's move forward," Reika said decisively, though nervous.
Naruto looked at her surprised and responded with a smile, brushing his lips against hers once more.
He lifted her in his arms, climbing the stairs steadily, unhurried but without pause, straight to his room.
Reika didn't try to pull away. She let the warmth of his body and the intensity of the moment envelop her, surrendering to desire.
Unbeknownst to them, two hooded figures with long black cloaks, decorated with the characteristic red cloud pattern, stood in front of the house.
"So…" Kisame said, looking at Itachi while awkwardly scratching his neck. "Should we retreat and come back another time?"
Itachi fixed his gaze on the house with a cold and piercing intensity that made Kisame shiver, almost making him step back.
Usually, Itachi was reserved and not very talkative, but this time, his silence felt dangerous.
Minutes passed, slow and heavy, as if time had stopped.
For Kisame, it felt like an eternity.
But finally, Itachi moved, turning around.
"We leave," he ordered in a deep voice.
Kisame frowned, incredulous.
"Have you forgotten our mission?" he said insistently. "The Kyūbi's Jinchūriki is inside that house. This is the best chance we'll have to capture him."
But Itachi didn't even bother to answer or look at him; he just walked away toward a nearby dango shop.
Kisame sighed annoyed, reluctantly following his companion's steps.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue. "I knew you wouldn't have the guts to attack with your little sister inside."