She looked at him, confused:
"Why are you asking this?"
Naruto paid and turned to her:
"I'll walk you home. Let's talk on the way."
They walked out of the ramen shop, side by side.
Naruto stopped in front of her, hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Do you really love him?"
Sakura looked straight into his eyes and nodded firmly.
Naruto smiled slightly:
"Sakura... Are you sure? Feelings can change over time. Tomorrow, next month, even three years from now, you might not feel this way anymore."
"I'm not someone who changes their mind so easily, Naruto. I decided a long time ago—I fell in love with Sasuke, and I will prove it to him."
She looked away:
"That night... I truly wanted to go with him, Naruto."
Naruto frowned:
"You shouldn't say something like that so casually, Sakura. But now he's gone. He went to Orochimaru's side. What are you going to do now?"
Sakura clenched her fists:
"I'll become stronger and save him. I won't give up. I will bring Sasuke back myself."
Naruto stared at her:
"Even if years pass, Sasuke might still refuse to come back willingly. And if you haven't become stronger by then, he'll easily defeat you."
Sakura looked down, discouraged, as she listened to Naruto's footsteps fade into the distance.
Leaping onto a rooftop, Naruto headed toward the Hokage Tower.
******
"Yo, Granny Tsunade!"
Tsunade saw Naruto loitering by her window.
"Can't you just use the door, kid? Jiraiya always jumps in through windows too."
Naruto shrugged and jumped into the office:
"It's faster and easier this way."
He flopped into a chair.
"What are you here for?"
Naruto's expression turned serious:
"How about creating a combat medic program?"
Tsunade's eyes widened briefly, then she calmed down:
"I suggested something like that years ago, but Master Sarutobi rejected it. He said we didn't have enough resources back then."
A smile appeared on Naruto's face:
"What about now? You're the Hokage, and I have someone I want to recommend. Her only real strength is chakra control… everything else is lacking."
"Who is it? One of the Genin from your team?"
Naruto nodded:
"Yeah, my teammate Sakura Haruno. See if she'd fit the role."
Tsunade watched as Naruto stood up and walked toward the window:
"Where are you off to, kid?"
Naruto yawned:
"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Let me have a week off, then assign me a new mission."
Tsunade smiled slightly:
"You can have a few days off, but come see me on the weekend. I've got something for you."
Naruto gave a half-hearted salute and jumped out the window.
******
When Naruto returned home, he felt completely exhausted. He saw Kankuro watching his TV and eating one of his cup noodles—grumbling under his breath.
Looking around, Naruto noticed the room was much tidier than when he'd left:
"Looks like she tidied up a little."
He saw Temari sleeping soundly in his bed, so he gently moved her aside, took off his shirt, and slipped into bed beside her, immediately falling fast asleep.
(Three hours later)
A cold sensation pressed against his face, forcing Naruto to open his eyes. He found Temari's giant metal fan pressed against his cheek.
Temari wore an angry expression:
"I woke up and saw your bare back! What are you doing in here?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow:
"Don't you know I live here?"
Temari shoved him back onto the bed using her fan:
"What I mean is, what are you doing in my bed, idiot?"
Naruto grinned sheepishly:
"This *is* my room! Where else would I sleep?"
Temari was left speechless until she heard Naruto's light breathing again—he had already dozed off. Shaking her head, she left the room.
The next morning, Naruto was woken by a strange yet terrifying sound.
"Naruto! You must join us for the Youthful Morning Workout!"
"Yes, Naruto! Train with us to keep that youthful fire burning!"
Naruto groaned as he sat up, scratching his head:
"Go back to sleep, Temari-chan. I'll go check it out..."
Temari lay back down as Naruto shuffled toward the front door, discovering Might Guy and Lee outside shouting about "the Flames of Youth."
As he opened the gate, Naruto shouted:
"Shut up!"
Guy and Lee immediately stopped, staring at him in shock. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
"Stay away from my dorm, or I'll call in Gaara! He's actually here this time! I'm way too tired for this nonsense!"
After shouting a few more slogans about youthfulness, Guy and Lee decided to run several hundred laps around Konoha while they waited for Naruto to wake up properly.
With a sigh, Naruto closed the door.
Kankuro, looking relieved, asked:
"Now that you're finally up, what's the plan?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head:
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Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!