In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Chapter 114 It’s Just a Mission

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"After that time, I started feeling strange." A trace of uneasiness appeared on Temari's face, and she twisted her hands and stammered, "I've been having nightmares and getting distracted easily."

Hearing this, Naruto withdrew his gaze and his expression became more serious.

"Nightmares? What do you dream about? Me?"

"No." Temari shook her head, a trace of sadness that was inconsistent with her age appeared on her youthful face, "I dream about my father, the Yondaime Kazekage."

‘Oh, family issues.’

Naruto took a tactical sip of water, his eyes fixed on Temari, gesturing for her to continue.

"Father wanted to kill Gaara. I could see the hatred and fear in his eyes every time he looked at Gaara." Temari said, gripping her thigh tightly, "Father is not a heartless person. He is a qualified Kage. But when it came to Gaara…"

"Gaara wasn't always the way he is now. He used to call me ‘nee-san’ when he was younger." Temari's voice began to waver, on the verge of tears, "But later, because of father's actions, he became irritable, and even Kankuro is afraid of Gaara."

Seeing that Temari was about to cry again, Naruto interrupted her by tapping the edge of his cup, "There's nothing I can do about that. I'm a Jinchuriki too, and I constantly feel the urge to kill. I even fantasize about turning the higher-ups into dogs and keeping them on my balcony."

"In terms of being messed up, Gaara and I are about the same."

"Uh…" Temari was taken aback for a moment, but quickly waved her hands and said, "No no no! That's not what I meant."

"Gaara has changed. After the Chunin Exams, we made up."

"Is that so?" Naruto was a little embarrassed, then rubbed his chin and said, "I might've just revealed a pretty big secret. Did you hear all of that?"

"Huh?"

"Did you remember it?"

"This…" Temari didn't know how to respond, so she managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Sumimasen, I'll try my best to forget it."

"No need. I could just silence you."

Temari pursed her lips, suddenly stood up, walked towards Naruto, and sat next to him very boldly.

The sofa was just big enough for one person to sit comfortably. If two people sat on it, it would be a bit cramped, which could lead to some accidental contact.

Naruto didn't push her away, after all, this wasn't something he asked for. Temari was practically leaning on him now.

He had boundaries, but they weren't many.

Temari hummed, "I started having these nightmares, and every time I woke up, I felt the need to find you. I don't even know why you're always on my mind. Even though I know you don't like me, I still want to be near you."

“I wasn't like this before.”

"But the closer I get to you, the more at peace I feel. I can't stand the suffocating anxiety anymore. I think I might be beyond saving."

Naruto remained silent, treating her words as just another symptom of her current condition.

‘It was a shame I didn’t have a recording device with me. If I could record this part, I could use it to tease Temari once she was back to normal.’

At this time, the clock on the wall showed that it was already past 12:30 AM.

Click!

The lights suddenly went out.

Naruto felt something warm wrap around him, and a pair of watery eyes shone brightly in the darkness. Temari leaned her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly.

Naruto found it somewhat boring and wasn't moved by this at all.

Just as he was about to push Temari away, he suddenly heard her speak in a low voice, "Just this once, let me hug you this once. You can do whatever you want."

Naruto sighed, telling himself not to hold it against someone who wasn't in their right mind. Thankfully, Temari didn't make any further moves, she just hugged him and then started crying her heart out.

She talked in broken sentences about her two brothers, but hardly mentioned anything about herself.

"Mother's thoughts were always focused on Gaara, and she passed away not long after." Temari mumbled as she curled up in Naruto's arms, "Now, father is gone too, and Gaara has to become the Kazekage."

Sunagakure wasn't entirely united. There were still many who harbored deep hatred and fear towards Gaara.

Even though Gaara was the son of the previous Kazekage and the Jinchuriki of Shukaku, ascending to the position of Kazekage wasn't as straightforward as it might seem.

There won't be bloody battle, but some people definitely need to be cleared out.

Gaara's transformation has won the support of most of the elders, and they've almost unanimously decided to groom him into a qualified Kage.

As the eldest princess of Sunagakure, Temari has no way out. The weight on her heart and the burden on her shoulders were overwhelming the moment she learned of the death of Kazekage.

Throughout the night, Naruto had a terrible headache, listening to Temari's intermittent ramblings. Sometimes, she'd start crying as she spoke, and after crying, she'd begin to fidget.

Fortunately, no matter how angry Naruto was, he didn't throw her off the sofa. He endured it and somehow got through the night.

The next day, early morning.

A mechanical synthetic sound woke Naruto up and he suddenly opened his eyes.

[Jashin’s Dog (The object of Hidan's faith, which contains and suppresses all consciousnesses, and is restricted by the caster) was successfully granted.]

Sensing the movement, Temari also drowsily opened her eyes. At this time, her skirt was barely serving its purpose. Naruto glanced over and then quickly looked away.

‘Not bad.’

Temari’s eyes weren’t fully open, but like a cat, she crawled up Naruto’s body. Her lips moved closer, her half-closed eyes glistening. Her neckline was wide open, and the holy light was protecting her body.

In his mind, Naruto repeated a hundred times not to take advantage of a patient, and he forcefully pressed his hand against Temari’s face, pushing her off and onto the ground.

"I'm leaving now." He said.

It was the same routine, the same feeling, just in a different place.

But this time, Temari didn’t panic. She just sat on the ground, looking up at Naruto as he stood up, "Can you stay a little longer?"

"No." He refused very bluntly, "I'm not staying here for you, I have other reasons."

Temari shook her head and smiled softly, "I don't mind. Can I see you again in the future? I want to stay by your side."

Naruto was already by the window, ready to leave. Hearing Temari's words, he turned back and said, "If you remain as weak as you are now, my answer is no."

"Whether it’s supporting Gaara’s rise to power or your own training, if you can’t bring value to me, it’s best we don’t meet again."

"We’re just using each other, we don't owe each other anything. Nothing happened. You'd better forget me quickly after you’re clear-headed, because I’ll forget you just as fast. Understand?"

With that, Naruto leaped out of the window, disappearing silently into the thick fog of dawn.

Temari remained seated on the ground, staring silently at the open window.

The cold morning wind blew in, making Temari shiver.

Suddenly, her face turned bright red. She let out a soft cry, covered her face with her hands, and started breathing heavily. Her eyes instantly became clear, no longer dazed.

"How could I!!! How could I!!!"

The last bit of unease in her heart had dissipated over the night. It was as if she had poured out all the emotions she had accumulated over the years. Temari’s mind was now calm, like entering the Sage Mode.

All the shameful memories came rushing back to her mind. She covered her mouth tightly, tears of embarrassment streaming down her face.