The cold ocean wind whipped across the upper deck. The sky was turning a dark, stormy gray.
Sasuke Uchiha hit the wooden floorboards hard. He rolled, gasping for air, and tried to push himself up.
A cold kunai pressed firmly against his throat.
"You're too tense, Sasuke," Kakashi said lazily, looking down at his student. "Your Sharingan can track my movements, but your body is too tight with anger to react in time. You're fighting like a cornered animal."
Sasuke swatted the kunai away and spat a glob of blood onto the deck. He glared at his sensei.
"I don't need lectures. I need power."
Kakashi sighed. He lowered his weapon. He knew exactly what was going on in the Uchiha's head. The encounter with Itachi, combined with Kenji's overwhelming superiority, was pushing Sasuke toward the edge. If Kakashi didn't intervene now, the Curse Mark would do the talking.
"Power without control is just suicide," Kakashi said, his visible eye sharpening. "We start intense Chidori and speed conditioning tomorrow. Just you and me. I’m going to push you to your absolute limit. Don't disappoint me."
Sasuke didn't argue. He clenched his fists, pulling himself off the deck. He looked across the ship.
Kenji was sitting casually on a railing, tossing an apple in the air.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. I will crush Kenji Sato one day.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura ran onto the deck. She was holding a warm, white towel.
"You looked like you were working hard," she said, offering the towel with a hopeful smile.
Sasuke didn't even look at her. He walked right past her, his shoulder intentionally bumping hers out of the way.
"Leave me alone," Sasuke muttered coldly. He disappeared down the steel stairwell.
Sakura stood there, holding the towel. Her chest tightened. The familiar, crushing sting of rejection washed over her. She bit her lip, trying to blink away the tears.
"Hey, Sakura," Naruto called out, walking past her with his hands in his pockets.
Sakura sniffled, expecting him to immediately ask her out or say something annoying. She geared up to punch him.
But Naruto didn't stop. He didn't ask for a date. He just gave her a confident, casual nod, entirely unbothered, and walked over to talk to one of the female deckhands.
Sakura froze. Naruto had completely ignored her.
Suddenly, a massive horn blasted.
"Rough waters ahead!" the captain yelled from the bridge.
A massive, rogue wave slammed directly into the side of the cruise ship. The entire vessel lurched violently to the left.
Sakura lost her footing completely. The wet wood offered no grip. She slid rapidly toward the edge of the deck. The steel railing was slippery from the sea spray.
She let out a panicked scream. She couldn't mold chakra to her feet fast enough.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist like an iron band.
Kenji yanked her backward, completely arresting her momentum. He pulled her flush against his broad chest.
"Careful, Sakura," Kenji murmured right against her ear. "The ocean doesn't care about your fan club."
Sakura gasped for air. Her heart was hammering against her ribs. "T-Thanks... let go now."
Kenji didn't let go.
Instead, he used the swaying of the ship as an excuse. He slid his hands firmly down her waist and straight onto her ass. He grabbed both of her firm cheeks through her red dress and squeezed them hard.
"Hey!" Sakura squeaked, her face instantly burning a bright red.
"I'm just stabilizing you," Kenji smirked, kneading her soft flesh unapologetically. "It's a bumpy ride."
"Let go of me, you pervert!" Sakura yelled.
She hit his chest with her fists, but her strikes were weak. She didn't use chakra. She didn't actually try to break his grip.
The freezing sea wind was biting through her clothes, but Kenji’s body heat was radiating into her. His large hands gripping her ass sent a confusing, heavy wave of heat straight down to her core.
She was touch-starved. Sasuke treated her like a ghost. But Kenji... Kenji was aggressive. He wanted to touch her, and he didn't care who saw.
High up on the observation deck, Sasuke stood near the steel door. He had stopped when the wave hit.
He looked down at the main deck. He saw Kenji holding Sakura tightly against his chest. He saw Kenji's hands blatantly groping her ass.
Sasuke’s grip on the metal door handle tightened until the steel groaned.
Why is he touching her? Sasuke thought, a dark, territorial anger flaring in his chest. She's annoying. I don't care about her. So why does this piss me off so much?!
Sasuke violently pushed the door open and stormed inside, unable to watch for another second.
Down on the deck, Kenji finally released Sakura. He gave her left cheek one last, stinging smack before stepping back.
Sakura stumbled forward, clutching her dress. She glared at him, her face completely flushed, her breathing ragged.
"You're a jerk!" she yelled, spinning around and running toward the cabins.
Kenji just laughed, leaning back against the railing.
He watched her run. Her hate was cracking. The corruption was sinking in perfectly.