It was late at night, and Naruto was walking home.
The streets of Konoha were still brightly lit, glowing like a ribbon of lights. As night fell, more and more people filled the streets, bustling with life and noise.
Naruto casually munched on a grilled eel skewer, eating as he walked, carefree.
Tsunade's words echoed in his mind—something about having backing now, no longer needing to endure grievances. From now on, the road ahead would be smooth, always surrounded by people, leading the way.
And that was exactly what happened. Ever since Tsunade had dragged him to the inauguration ceremony, standing beside her in a rather intimate manner before everyone, no one in the village had dared to show him a sour face anymore.
But who could say what the future held? Naruto didn't dwell on it too much. Tsunade wasn't omnipotent, and he still had things he needed to do.
Walking along the main street, he paused at an intersection before deciding to buy some takoyaki.
As he paid and waited, a familiar figure in the crowd caught his eye.
Naruto froze instantly.
Why her?
A bad feeling crept into his gut, and his instinct was to leave immediately. He turned to the takoyaki vendor and urged,
"Boss, can you make it faster?"
"What? Burned? No way, you must be mistaken," the old, scrawny vendor with graying hair responded, his hearing not the best. But his hands were quick, the sizzling oil and golden glow of the stand making the food smell irresistible.
"...Forget it, I don't want it anymore." Naruto couldn't wait. He turned and left.
"Customer...?" The old man looked confused but couldn't find the boy anymore.
Naruto didn't look back, quickening his pace. What a streak of bad luck today. Blending into the bustling crowd, he finally felt a bit more at ease.
He glanced over his shoulder—she wasn't following him. Exhaling in relief, he thought, What are the odds? Running into her now would be so awkward.
I should just go home. It's too dangerous out here.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Ano... I..."
Naruto whipped around, sucking in a sharp breath.
There she was—Temari, carrying her large battle fan on her back, standing next to him with a flushed face. Her eyes were dazed, her lips quivering as if struggling to say something.
Under the dim glow of the streetlights, she looked like she had just been bullied.
Naruto forced an awkward smile, his eyes scanning the area, ready to bolt at any moment.
He hadn't expected their last encounter to go so sideways. Originally, he just wanted to help his superior vent some frustration, maybe scare Temari a little.
But things escalated, and he accidentally went too far—she ended up crying. It had been an awkward mess.
Recently, Konoha and Sunagakure had been growing closer. After Orochimaru's schemes had left both nations leaderless, they found themselves vulnerable and had no choice but to reconcile. In response to the growing alliance between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, Fire and Wind had become allies.
This world had never been about random encounters—it was all calculated.
Naruto had hoped never to see her again, but fate had other plans. It had only been two days since their last meeting, and now, here they were.
"...Yeah, what a coincidence," Temari muttered, her usual confidence nowhere to be seen. She lowered her head, her face turning red.
"Well, since it's such a coincidence, how about we just never see each other again?" Naruto forced a chuckle and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
He felt a tug on his sleeve and instinctively turned back, frowning at her.
"Let go."
Temari gasped and quickly released him, looking like she was about to cry.
There were too many people around. If anyone saw him making the princess of Sunagakure cry, Tsunade would definitely drag him into her office for a beating.
Damn it.
Naruto clenched his teeth. Just before Temari's tears could spill, he leaned in and hissed,
"Don't you dare cry."
Temari bit her lip, her long lashes fluttering rapidly. Her face was bright red as she tried to suppress the shame.
For a moment, Naruto caught something strange in her eyes.
It wasn't anger.
Weird people are everywhere these days.
"Oi, stop crying here!" Naruto's expression turned cold as he suddenly clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Not a sound."
Making sure no one was paying attention to them, he forcefully dragged her toward a secluded alley. His grip on her wrist was firm—there was no gentleness in his movements.
"Mm—" Temari's face burned, but she quietly followed.
The dark alley swallowed them.
With a thud, Naruto pinned Temari against the wall, his eyes sharp as he demanded,
"Why are you following me?"
"...I'm sorry." Temari averted her gaze as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"What's wrong with you?" Naruto rubbed his temples. The dim light barely illuminated her face. "Why are you apologizing? Didn't I tell you not to cry?"
"I..." Temari choked on her sobs.
"Unbelievable."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed at the alley's entrance.
"Hey, did you hear crying just now?"
Naruto's body tensed. He instantly clamped his hand over Temari's mouth again.
He pressed her against the wall, holding his breath.
They were barely two meters from the alley's entrance. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, hidden in the shadows. Their faces were so close that they looked like they were embracing.
He could feel her rapid heartbeat, her warm breath against his ear. Her tears continued to fall.
"I swear I heard someone crying. Where'd they go?"
Footsteps shuffled closer as a few young men hesitated outside the alley.
"You must've imagined it."
"What, you wanna check inside?"
Silence. Then someone spoke.
"Then you go in and check."
"Screw that! It's pitch dark! You'd just mess with me if I went in alone!"
With a round of jeering, the group eventually moved on.
Naruto finally let go of Temari, pulling her into the light. He glanced at the trail of saliva at the corner of her mouth, then down at his hand.
Without hesitation, he wiped his hand on her clothes, his face full of irritation.
"I'm leaving. If you follow me again, I won't be nice about it."
Naruto expected Temari to get angry or lash out.
Instead, her body stiffened. She reached out, hesitated, then quickly withdrew her hand as if burned.
Her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale. As she opened her mouth, tears welled up again.
"Please... don't push me away. I'll be good..."
[Ding!]
[...]
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