IT'S ALL FOR THE MISSION (Sasuke x Naruto)

Chapter 11

Sasuke's pov,

When walked through the village; I could feel the eyes on us-mostly on Naruto. I wasn't surprised. She had that kind of presence, the kind that drew people in without even trying. And then there were the comments, the stares, and the way those girls looked at me, then at her like they were sizing up some sort of competition. It was annoying, but I kept my cool.

Naruto, on the other hand glared back at them, clearly irritated. It was kind of cute, actually. Seeing her get all worked up over something so trivial. But then she moved closer to me, like she was staking her claim. That's when I felt it-that small, stupid feeling of satisfaction. Dobe... Are you jealous?

And then we saw him Deidara, sitting there like he didn't have a care in the world. Instinctively, I was on guard, but Naruto, being Naruto, just had to start laughing. I don't know what it was-maybe the absurdity of the whole situation, or just seeing her so genuinely happy but I found myself laughing too.

But that's when Deidara turned his attention to Naruto, and I didn't like it. The way his eyes lit up, the way he suddenly seemed interested. My muscles tensed up. There was something too annoying about the way he looked at her. And then he opened his mouth.

"I'm usually all about the art, but you, girl—you're like a living masterpiece" that was it. That was enough. I could feel a sharp spike of something, before I knew it, I was stepping between them, cutting off his view of Naruto.

"I'm Sasuke. Her husband." The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. I watched Deidara's cocky grin vanish, just for a second, and that was enough. Good. Let him back off. I didn't even know why it got to me like this. Maybe because I'm supposed to be playing this role, or maybe because, deep down, I wasn't just playing. Either way, I wasn't about to let some smug idiot like Deidara make moves on her. Not while I was around.

Naruto shot me a quick look, her eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell are you doing?" she whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

Deidara blinked, surprise flickering across his face before his trademark smirk returned. "Oh, is that so? The 'husband' sure is protective, huh?" His tone dripped with mockery, but I could tell he was curious.

Naruto crossed her arms, shifting her eyes nervously. "Can we not do this right now 'honey'?" She shot a glance at me, trying to ease the tension. "We've got other things to worry about, you know

Deidara chuckled, his gaze still locked on her "Oh? Like what? I'm all ears," he teased.

Just when things were about to heat up, Sasori stepped in. "Deidara," he said, his tone all business, "we're here to get stuff done, not to waste time flirting with civilians. We've got more important things to deal with."

Deidara's grin didn't falter, but I caught a hint of frustration in his eyes as he glanced back at Sasori. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," he muttered, clearly not thrilled about being cut off. But as he turned to follow Sasori, he threw one last look at Naruto.

.....

Sasuke paid for the noodles, and as they made their way to the festival, Naruto turned to face Sasuke, confused  "What was that back there, Teme?" she hissed, keeping her voice low. "We were this close to getting some intel, and you scared them off!"

Sasuke's usual coolness wavered under Naruto's intense gaze. "I... I wasn't just gonna stand there and let him hit on you, Naruto. The guy's dangerous."

Naruto crossed her arms, giving him an annoyed look. "I know he's dangerous! That's exactly why we should've used that to our advantage. We could've made him spill something about the Akatsuki, but you totally messed it up 'cause you got... j-jealous."