On a beautiful spring day, with the fragrant breeze of blooming flowers filling the air, Naruto wandered through the village streets, deep in thought.
After many attempts, he had finally succeeded in bringing Sasuke back to the village, keeping his promise to Sakura. But now… what was next?
He felt like time was passing without purpose. There was no one left to teach him stronger techniques, and no real reason for him to stay in the village. In truth, he had been thinking about this for a long time, and now he had finally made his decision—to leave the village and travel, just like Jiraiya did. Perhaps he would see things he had never seen before and learn something new.
Determined, he headed to Lady Tsunade's office to inform her of his decision.
After a brief silence, Naruto spoke:
"Tsunade-baa-chan, I wanted to talk to you about something..."
Tsunade looked at him. "What is it, Naruto?"
Naruto took a deep breath. "I've decided to go on a long journey outside the village."
Tsunade was shocked by his sudden announcement. Why would Naruto want to leave the village?
"Why do you want to leave, Naruto?" she asked in surprise.
"No particular reason… I just want to explore what's beyond this village. There's no immediate threat, so there's no reason for me to stay here right now."
Tsunade studied him carefully. "So… where exactly do you plan to go?"
"Nowhere specific." He paused before continuing, "Just… let me go."
Tsunade could see the determination in his eyes. Realizing she couldn't change his mind, she had no choice but to agree.
Sighing, she said, "Alright, do what you want… But how long do you plan to be away?"
Naruto shrugged. "I haven't thought about it… But I'll return from time to time to check on the village and everyone."
Tsunade nodded. "When do you plan to leave?"
"At dawn today."
Tsunade's eyes widened. "That soon?!"
"I don't want to waste any time," he replied firmly. "But I do have one request, Baa-chan."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "A request? What is it?"
"Don't tell anyone about my decision until after I've left."
Tsunade frowned. "Why don't you want anyone to know?"
Naruto simply said, "Just do it, please."
After a moment of silence, Tsunade sighed and gave in. "As you wish."
Just then, the door burst open, and Sakura rushed in. "Tsunade-sama, I—"
She stopped mid-sentence, stunned to see Naruto there. It wasn't like him to visit Tsunade's office unless he was summoned—and that was usually Sakura's job.
"Naruto? You're here?!" she exclaimed.
Tsunade turned to her. "Ah, finally. You're here, Sakura. I need your help with a lot of work today."
Naruto nodded at Tsunade. "Thank you, Baa-chan. I'll be leaving now, if you don't mind."
Tsunade sighed. "Alright… Take care, and don't take too long to return."
"Got it. See you later."
As he reached the door, Tsunade suddenly called out to him.
"Even though I'm still not convinced about this decision… I hope you have a safe journey."
Naruto smiled, then quickly exited before Sakura could say anything to him.
Sakura turned to call after him, but he was already gone.
Tsunade, trying to distract her, said, "Sakura."
Sakura frowned. "Why did Naruto leave so quickly? And what decision were you two talking about?!"
Tsunade waved it off. "Nothing important… Now, forget about him and bring me Team Guy. There's a mission for them."
Sakura hesitated before replying, "O-Okay… As you wish."
Meanwhile, Naruto walked through the village one last time, taking in every sight and memory.
On his way, he ran into Sasuke, who seemed to be in a hurry, as if searching for something.
Sasuke stopped in front of him. "Finally. I've been looking for you."
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Me?! Why?"
"I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "About the decision you made."
Naruto's confusion deepened. "What decision?"
Sasuke sighed. "Leaving the village."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know about that?!"
Sasuke smirked. "You think I don't know what you've been planning? I could tell even before you decided."
He let out a small sigh and continued, "I'm in a hurry right now, but we'll talk tonight. Don't leave until I come back… Naruto."
Sasuke walked away without waiting for a response. Naruto watched him disappear, still surprised.
"How did he know?! The only person I told was Tsunade, and he definitely didn't hear it from her…"
Then, Naruto chuckled to himself. "Why am I even surprised? He always knows what I'm thinking before I do."
Continuing on his way, he arrived at Ichiraku Ramen and decided to stop by—after all, he wouldn't be back for a while.
At the same time, Sakura couldn't shake the strange feeling she had about Naruto's behavior. He hadn't even greeted her properly.
Something was definitely bothering him.
She excused herself from Tsunade, who granted her permission after noticing Sakura's distracted state.
As she left the office, Sakura thought about where to start searching.
"He's probably not at home—he never goes back this early… I'll start at Ichiraku Ramen. It's lunchtime, and I'm sure I'll find him there."
When she arrived, she caught her breath before calling out, "Na... ru... to! There you are! I found you!"
Naruto turned to her. "Sakura-chan! What's up?"
She sat next to him. "You're acting strange today… Is something bothering you?"
Naruto quickly shook his head. "No… nothing at all."
Then, he changed the subject. "Let me order a bowl for you."
Sakura smiled. "Thanks… but I can tell something's off. Why won't you just be honest with me?"
Naruto laughed nervously. "There's nothing to tell. If there was, you'd be the first to know."
He smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
At that moment, the chef placed two steaming bowls in front of them.
"Here you go—the best ramen in Konoha!"
Naruto and Sakura grinned. "Thanks!"
Naruto took a bite. "Mmm… This is the best. I don't know how I'll live without it!"
Sakura frowned at his words. "Why would you have to live without it? Are you going on a long mission?"
Naruto hesitated before quickly replying, "Uh… yeah! I always miss it when I'm on missions."
Sakura gave him a suspicious look but didn't press the issue.
After finishing their meals, Sakura stood up. "I'll see you later. Tsunade-sama is probably mad at me for leaving all that work to her."
Naruto forced a smile. "Goodbye."
Something about the way he said it made Sakura's heart clench. But she had no time to think, so she hurried back, while Naruto watched her go, wishing he could spend more time with her.
As she disappeared from sight, he sighed, knowing it would be a long time before he saw her again.