Naruto: I Have a Gravity Training Room-Chapter 474 - 472

Maybe guys and girls really do prioritize different things.

Guys tend to focus on big-picture stuff, or bonds of friendship, while girls think more about romance.

Even Naruto, the resident lovesick idiot who's always chasing Sakura, can still lock in when something serious happens. That's why everyone trusts him.

But Sakura… from start to finish, it feels like she never put the safety of the shinobi world first.

She treats her feelings for Sasuke as everything, even above everything. Even if the world ended, it still wouldn't matter more than Sasuke's choice in love.

That might be the biggest difference from the original story.

In the original, Sasuke's defection was a heart-rending blow for Sakura. That pain hardened her resolve. She became desperate to grow stronger, no matter what, and that's how she stood out in the Fourth Great Ninja War. People even got that illusion of "God-tier Sakura," but canon Sakura was undeniably excellent.

At the very least, the original Sakura played a huge role in the war.

Even while still caring about Sasuke, when it came to right and wrong, she was tougher.

Now look at how things are.

Because Sasuke never defected, Sakura has always felt like he was right there beside her. She never went through the agony of losing the person she loved, so naturally she couldn't forge the same kind of firm growth.

Even though she's training under Tsunade now, she's still not as outstanding as she was in canon.

What she thinks about the most is still her relationship with Sasuke.

Sasuke was honestly at a loss. For a moment, he didn't even know how to evaluate Sakura. But when he saw that hopeful, anxious look in her eyes, he softened a little, teammate to teammate.

He met her gaze and said seriously, "Sakura, I see Hanabi like a little sister. I don't have any special feelings there. And your feelings for me, I've always known. You've stayed the same for so many years. Honestly… I'm moved."

Sakura's eyes lit up. She blurted out, happy, "Sasuke-kun, th-then…"

"Don't rush," Sasuke cut in, stopping her joy, then continued, "I don't really understand romance. But if I'm being honest, I really admire a couple like Natsuki and Tenten. Not because they fell in love young, and not because their relationship is supposedly perfect, but because they understand each other and support each other."

Sakura didn't get it. She tilted her head at him.

She admired Natsuki and Tenten too, but what she envied was that they became lovers from childhood, that they were affectionate as husband and wife. What Sasuke admired seemed… different.

Sasuke went on. "Sakura, do you know? Tenten is always working to become stronger. She loves Natsuki, but she's never his attachment, and she's never his burden. She can fight alongside him. Because Tenten knows this: a man like Natsuki… only a strong woman truly deserves him."

Sakura seemed to understand, and stumbled back a step. "Sasuke-kun… are you saying I'm too weak, so I'm not good enough for you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You still don't understand. Look at Tenten's strength compared to Natsuki's. She's far behind him. But she still matches him perfectly, because she's strong inside. She's a truly strong kunoichi. And you? Your head is filled with romance all day. Have you ever thought about becoming stronger? Have you ever thought about fighting at my side? Have you ever thought there are things in this world more meaningful than love?

"My wife doesn't need to be overwhelmingly powerful. But she must be someone with a resilient heart, someone who cares about what's right, someone who can truly understand me.

"Sakura… is that you right now?"

Is that you right now?

That single question left Sakura frozen in place, tears sliding down before she could stop them.

Maybe she still couldn't fully understand. Maybe she vaguely did. But she couldn't answer Sasuke's question.

Because right now, it felt like she had nothing except her blazing love for him. Even becoming Tsunade's student, all she'd gained was medical ninjutsu and monstrous strength. But did that matter?

Deep down, her answer was: it didn't.

To her, Sasuke was everything. Nothing else mattered.

But Sasuke clearly didn't think the same way. What Sasuke needed wasn't a wife whose world was only him. He needed a clear-headed, strong-hearted partner who could support him.

In Sasuke's eyes, what Sakura needed to learn wasn't just medical ninjutsu and power. She needed to learn Tsunade's character.

Tsunade didn't become Hokage only because she was strong. She became Hokage because she held the greater good in her heart. Because she could give everything to protect the village, to protect the shinobi world. That was the most precious thing about her, and the thing Sakura most needed to learn.

Sasuke patted Sakura's shoulder, still serious. "Sakura, go back and really think about it. Following Tsunade-sama… what have you actually learned? Medical ninjutsu? Strength? the Yin Seal? Those might be important. But what truly matters, you still might not understand. When you finally do, maybe you'll understand me, too."

Sakura nodded numbly. Then she turned and walked home, one step at a time.

She listened to Sasuke and really tried to think, but maybe she still wouldn't be able to understand it in a short time.

Only after Sakura was gone did Sasuke look to the side. "Come out, Naruto."

Naruto stepped out, staring in the direction Sakura had left. His expression was complicated as he shook his head at Sasuke. "You shouldn't have said that to her. She loves you so much."

Sasuke looked Naruto straight in the eye, his tone severe. "And you love Sakura. So does that mean she's obligated to accept you?"

That shut Naruto up.

Because yeah, it wasn't fair. Just because Sakura loved Sasuke didn't mean Sasuke had to accept her. If it worked like that, then Naruto, who loved Sakura like crazy, should have been "owed" an answer too. But Sakura didn't have to respond.

So Sasuke absolutely could reject Sakura, and Naruto had no right to accuse him.

And in truth, Sasuke hadn't even outright rejected her. He'd simply said what he wanted in a future wife. Sakura clearly didn't meet that standard right now.

Maybe Sasuke was being harsh, but he wasn't forcing her. Sakura had the right to let go of Sasuke and choose someone more suitable.

She had agency. Her feelings were hers to choose. If she insisted on hanging herself on Sasuke's tree, then the only path left was to become the kind of person Sasuke liked.

Sasuke continued, "And what I said was meant to tell Sakura that she should learn to grow, instead of staying in place because of romance. Otherwise she'll only drift farther and farther away from us. Since she's Tsunade-sama's student, she should become someone like Tsunade-sama. A calm, wise, strong kunoichi who carries the greater good in her heart. That's the kind of Sakura who would truly have charm."

Naruto was silent for a long time. In the end, he nodded.

The Sakura of today really was still far behind. She really did need to keep growing.

Only a Sakura like Tsunade-baachan would be the most captivating Sakura.

(End of Chapter)

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