Naruto spotted Sasuke and immediately bounded over, grinning.
Sasuke tensed. Naruto was never this enthusiastic toward him unless he wanted something. And given Naruto's track record, that "something" usually involved humiliation.
"Sasuke, why'd you skip the gathering today?" Naruto asked, though he already knew the answer. He'd sensed Sasuke lurking outside his window all night. But calling him out would've been pointless, Sasuke would've just denied it. Better to let him stew in his own suspicions.
Sasuke stiffened. He couldn't exactly admit, 'I was too busy spying on you.'
Luckily, Naruto brushed past it. "Whatever. Not important." He slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Listen, Sasuke, you wanna get stronger, right?"
Sasuke's spine went rigid.
This closeness… The last time Naruto had been this friendly, he'd talked him into wearing a dress. And Naruto had never shown interest in Sakura or Ino's advances.
'Does he… like guys?'
"I...I like girls, Naruto," Sasuke blurted, voice strained.
Naruto blinked. "Huh? Who asked? I'm talking about training."
Sasuke averted his eyes. "I'm not selling my body."
Naruto's patience frayed. "I'm asking if you...wait, what?" His eyes widened in horror. "You think I'm...?!"
Sasuke's silence was damning.
Naruto recoiled, yanking his arm back. "Sasuke, I'm not into you! I'm asking if you want to train!"
Finally, Sasuke exhaled. "…Yeah. I do."
Naruto nodded. "Good. Here's the plan."
As he laid it out, Sasuke's face flushed. "That's… really your idea?"
"Yep. With your looks, you'll have every widow, housewife, and lonely kunoichi in the five villages throwing money at us. Even the..."
Sasuke cut him off. "It's ridiculous."
Naruto shrugged. "Your loss. Last chance."
A beat of hesitation. Then, "Fine. I'll do it."
Sasuke's voice was barely audible, his cheeks burning. "But only if you prove you can actually teach me something useful."
Naruto grinned. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Sasuke scoffed but didn't argue. He had no idea this decision would redefine his legacy. Soon, his face, adorned in cat ears and coy poses, would plaster every hidden corner of the shinobi world.
Uchiha Sasuke, the avenger, the Mangekyō wielder… reduced to "that guy from the photos."
And when Itachi stumbled across one, courtesy of a smug Deidara well… that would be a story for another time.
Meanwhile, Sakura scouted the village for potential buyers, starting with Ino.
At the Yamanaka flower shop, Ino crossed her arms. "Sasuke's photos? Please. I'm over him." She flipped her hair. "I'm a Naruto fan now. So unless you're here to recruit for his fan club..."
Sakura wilted. "Oh…"
Ino smirked. "But… I'll help. Anything to ditch flower duty."
Their next stop, Tenten, mid-mission (chasing a runaway cat).
"No way," Tenten said, barely glancing up. "I'm Naruto's #1 fan. Sasuke's so last year."
Two rejections in, Sakura nearly gave up, until Ino nudged her. "Relax. We've got seven classmates already interested. Once they show off their copies, demand will skyrocket."
Sakura's eyes gleamed. "And when parents find out..."
"Profit," Ino finished.
A pause. Then.
"…Can I invest?" Ino asked.
...