Konoha.
Flower shop.
Yamanaka Ino hummed along to the song playing on the TV while tidying up the flowers in the store.
Just then, the shop door was pushed open.
The moment she looked up and saw the person walking in, she froze.
"Y-You're... Sakura?"
Ino asked uncertainly as she stared at Haruno Sakura.
"Ino, long time no see."
Seeing Ino's shocked expression, Sakura smiled and greeted her casually.
Ino's mouth slowly fell open in disbelief.
"Sakura, y-you... how did you turn into this?"
The Sakura in front of her was completely different from the one she remembered.
The old Sakura had been pretty too, but her style had always been simple, the kind of girl-next-door look.
And when she wasn't smiling, her brows were usually tightly furrowed out of habit.
But now...
The clothes Sakura wore were obviously expensive at a glance. Her neck, wrists, and hair were adorned with all kinds of jewelry.
There was also a mysterious diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
The entire woman practically radiated nobility and brilliance, as though she was glowing.
Even Ino, the young lady of the Yamanaka clan, felt stunned.
This kind of appearance was something even she wouldn't dare dream of.
"Sakura... did you rob a bank?"
The moment Ino finally regained her senses, the first thing she did was suspect her of robbery.
Sakura couldn't help bursting into laughter.
That smile left Ino dazed once again.
Beautiful.
Too beautiful.
For the first time in her life, Ino finally understood what people meant by "trembling like a flower in the wind."
More importantly, she felt that her best friend now possessed some indescribable aura.
For a brief moment, Ino actually felt inferior to her.
"Ino, this is for you."
When Ino snapped back to reality and saw the gift Sakura handed over, she froze again.
"T-This..."
"Sakura, what exactly have you been doing these past few months?"
The gift Sakura gave her was a gold necklace embedded with a sapphire-blue gemstone.
Ino had wanted that necklace for a very long time.
But it was far too expensive, and it required connections just to buy it, so all she could do was admire it from afar.
Yet now, Sakura had casually gifted it to her.
"Ino, didn't you really like it?"
"Hurry and try it on."
Instead of putting it on, Ino carefully set the necklace aside and looked at Sakura seriously.
"Sakura, what exactly happened during this time? Tell me already!"
Seeing Ino's curiosity, Sakura finally stopped teasing her and slowly recounted what had happened between herself and Yuzuru.
By the time she got to the part about the training grounds...
Ino felt like her worldview was collapsing.
Wasn't that way too crazy?
The training grounds were places anyone could pass by.
If someone had seen them, wouldn't that have been social suicide?
Thinking about it, Ino couldn't help asking:
"Sakura... how did you even agree to that back then?"
Sakura's face reddened slightly.
"He insisted..."
"You..."
Ino opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.
After all, that was His Majesty the Emperor.
Who could possibly refuse him?
Sakura continued:
"I only found out afterward that Yuzuru had already set up a barrier from the very beginning. Nobody could've entered at all."
"He was deliberately scaring me."
Only then did Ino finally feel like things made a little more sense.
"I never expected His Majesty the Emperor to be so bad..."
Sakura laughed.
"He's bad in a lot of ways. You have no idea. Yuzuru is completely different from what we imagined before."
Ino instantly became interested.
"Sakura, tell me properly. I really want to hear about this stuff."
Seeing Ino's eager expression, Sakura slowly began telling her everything she had learned about Yuzuru during this period of time.
After hearing it all, Ino sighed enviously.
"Sakura, congratulations. Your wish finally came true."
"Look at you now. You're completely different from before."
As Sakura's best friend, Ino naturally knew exactly what Sakura had always wanted.
She never could have imagined that something which once sounded like pure fantasy had actually become reality.
And meanwhile...
Despite all her abilities, she was still single.
Seeing the envy on Ino's face, Sakura suddenly said:
"Ino, do you want to become sisters with me?"
Ino blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean? Aren't we already sisters?"
"Not that kind." Sakura smiled. "I want us to become sisters who can be completely honest with each other."
"Huh?"
"HUH?!"
Ino's face instantly turned red.
"Sakura, what nonsense are you talking about?!"
Sakura said matter-of-factly:
"Anyway, my husband isn't some pure-love warrior. If a beauty like you threw yourself at him, he'd probably be thrilled."
Ino still couldn't process it.
"B-But..."
Seeing her reaction, Sakura waved her hand with a grin.
"Hehehe... I'm joking, Ino. You'll definitely find a husband even better than Lord Yuzuru someday."
"I still have something to do, so I'm heading out first."
Watching Sakura's carefree departing figure, Ino suddenly clenched her fists tightly.
It was true that she and Sakura had always been close ever since childhood.
But at the same time, they had always competed with each other in everything.
Who could walk faster.
Who could eat more.
Who could get better test scores...
And now, after hearing Sakura say things like "You'll find an even better husband"...
Ino's competitive spirit instantly flared up.
"Hmph! Just wait and see! I'll definitely find a husband even better than His Majesty the Emperor…!"
But after saying it aloud, her eyes gradually dimmed.
In the ninja world...
Did a man more outstanding than His Majesty the Emperor even exist?
————
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"Husband~"
Seeing Sakura running toward him, Yuzuru smiled.
"What's wrong?"
Sakura lowered her voice mysteriously.
"Husband, do you want another wife?"
"If you say yes, I'll personally deliver her right into your hands."
"Huh?"
Yuzuru froze for a moment.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Don't worry about the details. Just answer me. Do you want one or not?"
Yuzuru chuckled.
"Sure, but she has to be beautiful."
Sakura immediately patted her chest confidently.
"Don't worry! The new wife I found for you isn't just beautiful, she also has an amazing figure."
"Just wait for the good news."
After saying that, Sakura excitedly ran off to start planning things.
Back when she was struggling, Ino had helped support her so many times.
Now it was finally her turn to repay her best friend!