Naruto: All Genders are reversed except for me

"Of course, I can," Naruto replied confidently.

The showdown immediately drew the attention of the entire class. Even Sasuke, who usually kept his distance, leaned in to listen to the conversation closely.

"Good. If I win too easily, it wouldn't be fun. I hope your arrogance matches your skill," said Shikamaru—now a girl—with a rare glimmer of interest in her eyes.

Setting up an endgame in shogi was notoriously difficult. Both the red and black sides had distinct advantages and high risks, requiring precise moves. A single misstep could lead to a loss of momentum and eventual defeat.

Naruto swiftly cleared the board, removing all the pieces with practiced ease. In their place, he set up a brutally complex endgame that left everyone stunned.

Even Shikamaru, who had been trained in shogi by her father, was momentarily surprised. Though familiar with endgames, she'd never encountered one this challenging.

"What do you think? Choose red or black; it's up to you," Naruto offered, preemptively countering any suspicion of cheating.

"No need. I'll take black," Shikamaru replied decisively.

"Alright."

Naruto and Shikamaru sat across from each other, surrounded by a crowd of curious classmates.

"Do you want to start?" Naruto asked with a smile. "Ladies first."

Shikamaru rolled her eyes. "According to the rules, red always goes first. Let's stick to tradition. I don't want anyone claiming my victory was undeserved."

Naruto shrugged and didn't argue. With steady hands, he picked up a red piece and made his first move without hesitation.

Thus began a fierce and grueling endgame showdown.

At first, both players moved their pieces swiftly and decisively. The crowd was mesmerized by the fluid exchange. However, as the game progressed, their pace slowed, revealing the intense mental calculations behind each move.

The spectators were baffled. Shikamaru, known for her genius intellect, seemed to be struggling. Her furrowed brow and cautious movements suggested increasing difficulty.

This was shocking. Shouldn't Naruto have been crushed by her overwhelming skill in mere moments? Yet here he was, calm and collected, while Shikamaru appeared to tread on thin ice.

"Go, Shikamaru!"

"You've got this!"

"Naruto-oniichan, keep it up!"

As the board thinned and the remaining pieces dwindled, the air grew tense. Victory was near, and excitement surged through the room. Most of the students cheered for Shikamaru, but Hinata was the sole voice rooting for Naruto.

Even Sasuke, who had been quietly sitting at her desk, stood up, drawn by the electrifying atmosphere, her gaze fixed on the two players.

"Snap!"

Naruto placed his piece on the board with a decisive motion. Shikamaru froze, her expression shifting dramatically. The tides had turned, and it was now impossible to recover.

The room fell silent. The spectators urged Shikamaru to make her move, but she let out a resigned sigh and spoke, her words stunning everyone.

"I've lost."

Her voice carried a mix of disbelief and admiration as she stared at Naruto. "You're impressive. If I hadn't made that one mistake, I might've forced a draw. But one wrong step led to another…"

---

[Ding! You've received 3,000 points of shock value from your classmates!]

---

Shikamaru pulled out her wallet and retrieved a crisp 2,000-ryo bill. "The extra 200 ryo will go toward our next game. Today's match isn't over yet."

She tossed the money onto the table and left without looking back. Ino and Choji hurried after her, worried she might take the loss too hard.

With Shikamaru's admission, the rest of the class began to see Naruto in a new light, their gazes tinged with awe and respect.

Naruto, smiling faintly, began packing up the shogi board and pieces. Only then did the spectators start dispersing, still reeling from what they had witnessed.

"Naruto-oniichan, you're amazing!" Hinata's eyes sparkled with admiration as she approached him. Even Kiba, now a tomboyish girl, and the ever-silent Shino seemed momentarily caught off guard.

"Hmph. I didn't expect you to be this skilled—beating Shikamaru, no less," Kiba muttered, crossing her arms.

Naruto looked up, smirking. "What's this? Don't tell me you've developed feelings for me?"

His words caused an uproar. Hinata gasped, and Sasuke frowned.

"W-what are you talking about?!" Kiba stammered, flustered. She grabbed Shino's arm and stormed off. "Let's go! This is a waste of time."

Hinata, now feeling awkward, glanced at Naruto apologetically. "Um… Naruto-oniichan, I should get going too. See you this afternoon!"

Naruto nodded with a smile, watching as she hurried off.

---

With most of the class gone, only a few students cleaning up remained. In the front row, a twin-tailed girl was still seated, seemingly waiting for something.

Naruto finished tidying his things, then walked over to Sasuke. With a grin, he grabbed her hand and said, "Come on, my treat."

Sasuke hesitated, clearly flustered, but soon composed herself. After all, as per their agreement, she was now Naruto's "school girlfriend." Holding hands wasn't exactly out of bounds.

Under the astonished gazes of their classmates, Naruto confidently led Sasuke out of the classroom.

Since Ichiraku Ramen was closed for the morning to work on new recipes, Naruto splurged a bit and took Sasuke to a barbecue restaurant.

The establishment offered an all-you-can-eat deal for 500 ryo per person. With a child's discount, their total came to just 500 ryo for the two of them.

"You're always complaining about being broke. Why are we eating at a place like this?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto with confusion.

Naruto smirked and replied with feigned seriousness, "If I told you it was to impress you, would you believe me?"

That statement caused Sasuke's face to flush slightly as she turned her head away. "I don't believe you."

"Good, because you're not supposed to," Naruto chuckled. "I just felt like eating barbecue today. Plus, it's thanks to the 100 ryō you lent me this morning that I managed to win so much money, so..."

"So you decided to bring me along as an afterthought?" Sasuke frowned.

"Women are such a headache. If I say I brought you here specifically, you'd get mad. But if I say I didn't, you'd still get mad," Naruto replied, exasperated.

"Hmph. I'm not mad," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto let out a helpless laugh. "Alright, let's go grab some food. I'm going to eat enough to make this meal worth every ryō."

The two headed over to the food display, piling baskets with a variety of ingredients. Before long, they returned to their table with an impressive haul.

Noticing how much food they had brought, a waitress approached them with a polite reminder. "Excuse me, little ladies. Since this is a buffet, please remember not to waste any food, or you'll face penalties."

The warning wasn't surprising to Naruto. In Konoha, as the village's infamous outcast, most people treated Naruto with disdain or suspicion. Aside from Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku Ramen, no one ever showed her kindness. Walking into an upscale restaurant like this without some form of disguise would've likely ended with her being thrown out before even stepping through the door.

And so, to avoid trouble, Naruto had transformed herself into an equally adorable "little girl," just like Sasuke.

"Thank you, big sister! We promise to finish everything," Naruto replied sweetly, maintaining her guise.

After the waitress left, Naruto dropped the act, letting out an awkward cough before breaking into a carefree grin. "Alright, Sasuke, let's dig in!"