As they finished their round, Naruto approached with a calm smile, handing each of them a towel.
"Here. Cool down before you overheat," he said, voice light but steady.
"Thanks, senpai," Ino replied with a wink, already patting her face.
Karin gave a breathless grin, her hair damp and clinging to her cheeks. "Don't act like we're the only ones sweating, Naruto."
Hinata nodded shyly, taking the towel with a quiet "Thank you," before turning away to wipe down.
Naruto leaned against a nearby tree, watching them without meaning to linger—but the sight held him captive for a moment.
Even covered in sweat, maybe especially like this, they looked radiant. Fierce, strong, flushed with effort. Their determination made them shine—but their natural beauty was impossible to ignore.
And then… the scent.
It wasn't just the air—it was them. The musk of effort, the scent of skin and motion, hit him like a jolt.
His chakra stirred. So did something else.
Focus, he told himself. You're not a kid anymore.
But his mind had already faltered. For a second, instinct took the reins.
Ino noticed. Of course she did.
Her lips curled in a sly smirk as she slowly dabbed her towel over her collarbone, letting it trail lower than necessary. Droplets traced down her throat, disappearing into the dip of her cleavage. She didn't say anything—but her eyes did.
They locked with his. Mischievous. Knowing.
Karin caught the shift in the air and raised a brow, side-eyeing Ino like she was about to elbow her ribs. Hinata, oblivious—or pretending to be—focused on stretching her arms.
Karin elbowed Ino, not exactly gently.
"Ouch! Can't you not go full Hyuga on my ribs?" Ino grumbled, rubbing her side.
That little jab jolted Naruto out of his daze.
If Ino were born a devil… she'd definitely be a succubus, he thought grimly, shaking his head. Weaponized mischief in human form.
He coughed and tried to sound casual, though the redness in his cheeks betrayed him. "Ahem. So… ramen later? My treat?"
Ino smirked, ever the predator. "Only if you behave. And don't drool on the menu."
"I might," Naruto shot back, scratching his cheek and avoiding her gaze. "Depends on whether you stop messing with me."
Karin snorted, tossing her towel around her neck like a scarf. "Yeah, right. You've got a better chance of outrunning a paper bomb in your underwear."
The air shifted. The electric tension melted, giving way to shared grins and an unspoken understanding. It was still there—but wrapped now in laughter and warmth.
Moments later, the three girls stepped into a nearby changing stall—an enclosed space hidden beside the training ground, built for convenience.
Naruto stood outside, arms crossed, doing his best to play the role of "honor guard."
He was failing.
Ino's voice came teasing from within, "Ne, Naruto~ if you're bored, you can come in and help me with my zipper."
Naruto's heart did a full backflip. His mind, traitorous and vivid, painted images in high resolution.
Before the thoughts could get any steamier, Karin's voice cracked like thunder.
"If you even think about stepping inside, I'll rearrange your face so well even a Byakugan wouldn't recognize you."
That snapped him right out of it. He instinctively took a step back, holding both hands up like a man who'd just tripped a landmine.
"Right! I'm not suicidal!" he called, voice an octave higher than usual.
A few minutes later, the girls emerged in fresh clothes, hair slightly damp from toweling off, but all radiating that post-training glow.
And so they headed out, wandering through the village with the ease of old friends and the buzz of something new just beneath the surface.
After weaving through the familiar backstreets and alleyways of Konoha, they reached the golden gate of every shinobi's favorite shrine—
Ichiraku Ramen.
The bell jingled cheerfully above the doorway as the four stepped inside.
Ayame looked up from the counter with a bright smile.
"Well, well," she said, tying her apron tighter, "if it isn't Konoha's most chaotic dream team."
"Four bowls of mischief, coming right up," Teuchi added from the back with a laugh.
Naruto grinned as he took his seat. "Make mine a double."
"So," Hinata asked softly, resting her hands on the counter, "what did you want to talk about, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto gave a small grin, leaning back on his stool. "Let's wait till the ramen's here. Big talks go better with full bowls."
Ino narrowed her eyes. "Ominous. You better not drop something life-changing on us between mouthfuls of noodles."
"I make no promises," he said with a wink.
Ayame came in just then, setting the steaming bowls in front of them. "Alright, here we go—one spicy miso with extra chashu for the drama king, pork shoyu, light miso, and the garlic bomb of death."
Karin sniffed her bowl like a bloodhound. "Perfect. This'll cure anything—including my patience."
As Ayame moved back behind the counter, she paused and gave Naruto a softer look. "Hey… whatever you're gonna say, just don't vanish on us, okay?"
Naruto blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"
"I mean it," she said, gently but firmly. "You've got people here who care, Naruto. Don't forget that."
He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks, Ayame-neechan. I won't."
With that, they all grabbed their chopsticks and—snap—split them in unison before diving in.
The cozy shop was filled with the sound of slurps and happy sighs. Then Naruto set his chopsticks down mid-bite and took a breath.
"The thing is…" Naruto began between bites.
Three heads turned his way mid-chew.
"…I'll be leaving the village. For a while. Two years, at least."
The slurping slowed.
"Two years?" Karin said, eyes narrowing.
"You're serious?" Ino asked.
Hinata looked at him quietly, not surprised—just… sad.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I want to travel, train, and grow stronger. There's stuff out there I can't learn in Konoha."
Karin crossed her arms. "Okay, but could you not lead with that like you're going off to war? Geez. Say it properly."
"Yeah," Ino agreed, jabbing her chopsticks at him. "That was a total 'last words' tone."
Naruto chuckled nervously. "Alright, alright. Let me rephrase—I'm going away for two years, but it's not goodbye. I'll be back. Stronger, smarter… hopefully taller than Kiba."
"Ambitious," Karin muttered.
He smiled at each of them. "Before I go, I want to spend real time with you all. I want to make memories. Laugh, train, eat ramen until we can't move."
"And no teleporting back for surprise visits?" Hinata asked gently.
"Nope. No shortcuts this time," Naruto said. "If I'm doing this, I need to be all-in. No Hiraishin, no shadow clone messengers. Just me… out there."
Ayame, from behind the curtain, called out, "Still better not disappear without coming back for one last bowl."
Naruto laughed. "That's a promise, Ayame-neechan!"
Ino leaned back with a dramatic sigh. "Great. Now I feel emotional while eating ramen. That should be illegal."
Karin shook her head, but she was smiling. "You better come back with a new jutsu. Or I'm making you pay for all my meals."
"I'll add it to my mission goals," Naruto said, grinning.
Hinata gave a tiny nod, her gaze soft. "We'll wait."
And with that, the chopsticks went back to work.
Steam filled the shop. Laughter followed soon after.
But underneath it all, something had changed.
A promise was made—and hearts had started counting down the days already.
As Naruto sat quietly at the counter, waiting for the others to finish their ramen, his thoughts drifted—back to the conversation that had settled it all. A few days ago. His home. The warmth of the evening sun poured through the window. The clatter of chopsticks. The smell of miso soup.
Kushina had been the first to react.
"What? Two years?!" Her chopsticks clattered to the table, her red hair flaring slightly like a wild aura. "You wanna just pack up and leave—again?!"
Naruto flinched, halfway through chewing a rice ball.
Minato chuckled softly beside her, calm as always. "Kushina… let him finish."
Naruto swallowed and gave a small grin. "I'm not leaving leaving. I just… want to see more of the world. There's still so much out there I haven't touched, and I feel like if I stay here too long, I'll start thinking I've already learned enough."
Kana, sitting across from him, nodded slowly. "That's a very Uzumaki thing to say," she said, sipping her tea. "Restless heart. Fire in your bones. You're your mother's son."
Kushina huffed, folding her arms. "You could at least act like it's hard to say goodbye, ya know?"
Naruto smiled gently. "Of course it is. I don't want to leave you guys. I just feel like… if I don't go now, I might regret it later."
Minato placed a hand on his shoulder, his eyes bright but calm. "You're growing, Naruto. That's what life's supposed to be. And this… this is your next step."
Kushina sighed, then leaned forward, ruffling his hair with a fierce affection. "If you don't write once a week, I'll send clones to drag you back by the ear, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered with a grin, swatting her hand away.
"Where will you go first?" Kana asked, her expression thoughtful.
"I'm thinking of Koyuki's country. Help her with some Hyōton training, and maybe do some border patrols. Then… who knows?"
Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Meeting a queen first thing, huh? You better behave, you little flirt."
Naruto laughed. "No promises."
Minato smiled fondly at him, then spoke gently. "Just remember what we always say—don't go looking for battles. But if you have to fight, make sure it's for something that matters."
Naruto nodded solemnly. "I will."
And that was that.
They didn't argue. Didn't scold. Just stood by him, as they always had.
Back in the ramen shop, Naruto blinked, returning to the present.
The bowls were nearly empty, the mood light again. But that memory lingered—like the softest note of home in a world that never stopped moving.
Only a few goodbyes left.
And then the road would open wide.