Naruto: Forbidden Pleasures

Naruto entered the room, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression still irritated by what had just happened. The red-haired woman and the purple-haired girl were already seated, seemingly waiting for him. A slight smile appeared on the woman's face as she met his gaze. Naruto groaned inwardly; she had probably guessed what had happened.

He sat down silently, taking his place in front of a steaming bowl set for him. The silence in the room was palpable, broken only by the soft clinking of utensils as the two women ate. Naruto poked at his bowl with his chopsticks, trying to shake off his frustration.

Finally, the red-haired woman broke the silence with a playful lilt in her voice:

"So, playboy, did you manage to get what I asked for?"

Naruto's head shot up, his cheeks tinged with red. "Playboy?! What are you even talking about now?!" he protested.

The girl, who had been eating quietly until now, raised an intrigued eyebrow and set her chopsticks down. "What are you talking about?" she asked in a calm but wary voice.

The woman burst out laughing, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing serious. I just sent him to talk to you, but it seems our future Hokage still has a lot to learn about women!"

Naruto sulked, crossing his arms. "That's not it at all! I just wanted to let you know breakfast was ready, but you attacked me for no reason!"

The purple-haired girl gave Naruto an impassive look, then turned to the woman. "You're incorrigible," she said dryly before resuming her meal.

Frustrated, Naruto lightly pounded the table with his fist. "This isn't fair! You both seem to know everything about me, but I don't even know your names!"

The woman stopped eating, her slight smile still lingering. She stared at him for a moment as if choosing her words, then finally sighed:

"You're right. We haven't introduced ourselves. Where are my manners?"

She pretended to ponder for a moment, then casually tossed her spoon toward Naruto. Surprised, he clumsily caught it, nearly dropping it into his bowl.

"You're not very chivalrous yourself, Naruto," she said mockingly. "How do you expect to get married someday if you can't even ask for a name?"

Naruto felt his ears heat up. "I'll have you know, I'm still young!" he retorted, though his words lacked conviction.

"I'm Akane Himura," she finally said with a sly smile, "and this is my disciple, Ayame Tsubaki."

Ayame gave a slight nod without even glancing at Naruto, her violet hair shimmering under the dim light.

Naruto, trying to remain polite despite his irritation, replied, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you."

Akane burst into laughter. "Are you an idiot or what? We already know your name! It's all we talked about last night!"

Naruto pouted again, focusing on his bowl of rice to avoid responding.

The meal continued, punctuated by Akane's constant teasing. With every bite Naruto took, she found a way to mock him, whether it was his eating style or his perpetually annoyed expression.

Her mischievous attitude vaguely reminded him of his self-proclaimed playboy sensei… Maybe he had a knack for attracting eccentric people. Who knew?

"Tell me, Naruto," she began with a mock-serious tone, "do you really plan on becoming Hokage one day? Because if so, you've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto protested, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"It means you severely lack patience, tact, and the ability to read situations before diving in headfirst," Akane replied, her tone suddenly more serious.

Naruto lowered his gaze. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew she wasn't entirely wrong.

"But," she continued, her tone lightening again, "at least you've got one quality: you don't give up easily. And that's rare."

Naruto looked up, surprised by the genuine sincerity in her voice.

After the meal, as the dishes piled up on the table, Akane stretched with a sigh. "Well, enough talk. I've got things to do."

She left the room, leaving Naruto and Ayame alone. The girl, who had barely spoken throughout the meal, also got up to leave.

"Wait," Naruto said, standing up hastily.

She stopped but didn't turn around.

"Why did you attack me this morning?" he asked, his voice filled with confusion.

Ayame slowly turned her head, her golden eyes piercing into his. "Because you seemed weak. And weakness—I don't have time to tolerate it."

She left the room without another word, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

Naruto clenched his fists. Weak?! "What's wrong with that girl? Since our first meeting, she's looked down on me, and it's infuriating!"

He was on the verge of exploding, torn between the insult of being called weak and the fact that she was right. He didn't know which angered him more. But cursing her or trying to fight back wouldn't help. If he wanted to silence that arrogance, he had no choice but to grow stronger.

The road ahead seemed long, but as Akane had pointed out earlier, his persistence was undoubtedly his greatest strength—and he was more than ready to use it to achieve his goals.