Meanwhile, Naruto headed for the door, saying, "Alright, Sakura, I—"
He stopped in his tracks when he found Kushina standing there, holding a knife against his neck. She whispered coldly, "Apologize."
Naruto looked at her for a moment, then quickly turned back to Sakura, fuming. "Sakura…!"
Sakura's eyes widened at the sharp tone of his voice as she waited for what he would say next.
Naruto hesitated, then muttered under his breath, "I… I… I'm so—" But in his mind, he thought, I'll never forgive you for this, Kushina…
Sakura: "What are you…??? I don't have much time to listen to you."
Naruto seized the opportunity and quickly said, "Alright… That's good… We'll talk later."
Then, he disappeared in a flash from the room before Kushina could catch him.
Sakura turned toward the door, astonished by the strange situation. She found Kushina standing there, looking angrily to the right—the direction Naruto had taken to the guest room.
When Kushina looked at Sakura, she saw her staring at her in confusion. To save face, Kushina said, "I wanted something from him… That's why I came." Then, she smiled at Sakura and said, "Goodbye."
She quickly rushed off to catch Naruto, leaving Sakura bewildered by everything that was happening.
When Kushina reached the guest room where Naruto was sitting, she knocked on the door and said, "Naruto… Open the door…"
There was no response. She knocked again. "I told you to open the door… I know you're inside…"
Still, no reply.
She then said, "Fine… It seems I don't matter to you… I'll just leave and let you do whatever you want."
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Naruto pulled her inside by her hand until she was pressed against his chest.
They looked into each other's eyes, and a flicker of fear appeared in Naruto's gaze. After a moment, he let go of her and said, "You tricked me."
Kushina smirked victoriously.
Naruto walked over to sit on the bed. Kushina followed and asked, "Why didn't you apologize to her?"
Naruto: "I don't think I did anything wrong to her, so I won't apologize." He turned his face away from her.
Kushina sat beside him. "You know… Sometimes, I feel like I'm living with two people—one is a man, and the other… is a child."
Naruto looked at her for a moment, then suddenly—
He lifted her into his arms.
Kushina gasped in shock. "What?!?!"
Naruto walked toward the window, holding her up, and extended his arms out of it, with Kushina still in them.
When she looked down at the street below, she panicked and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, kicking her legs in fear. "Naruto… What are you doing?! What is this?!!!"
Naruto smirked. "I'm going to throw you out the window… like a child."
Kushina looked at him, eyes wide. "Alright, alright! I'm sorry! You're a man! A man!!"
Naruto laughed as he set her back down, suppressing his amusement. Kushina, still shaken, glared at him with a mix of anger and happiness. "You're still a child…"
She turned to leave, but before she could reach the door, Naruto quickly hugged her from behind.
Kushina: "Naruto, let me go."
Naruto (gently): "No… I won't let you go."
Suddenly, he placed a soft kiss on her neck.
Kushina's cheeks turned red, and her whole body trembled. When she turned to look at him, she found him gazing at her lovingly.
Naruto: "Am I a man now?"
She looked away shyly.
He leaned in to kiss her lips, but she quickly pulled away, flustered. "I… I have to go… prepare your travel bag."
Naruto watched her leave with a smile, but then he suddenly remembered something.
Naruto: "Kushina…"
She turned back. "What is it?"
Naruto: "Remember that thing I told you I wanted to return to its owner?"
Kushina thought for a moment. "Oh… I remember. Does it belong to one of those two girls?"
Naruto nodded.
Kushina: "Alright… I'll get it for you, dear."
She left the room, closing the door behind her. Once outside, she placed a hand on the spot where he had kissed her, her cheeks flushed.
"I love you," she whispered, before hurrying off to retrieve the item.
About fifteen minutes later, Sakura had returned to Naruto's room, where she and Hinata were gathering their things for departure.
Hinata: "What's wrong, Sakura? You look really angry!"
Sakura shot her a glare. "I'm not angry."
Hinata: "Sure… sure… I totally believe that."
Sakura turned away in irritation.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Hinata: "Come in."
Naruto entered.
As soon as Sakura saw him, she started, "Why did y—"
But Naruto cut her off. "I didn't come for you."
He walked straight to Hinata.
She looked up at him. "What is it?"
Naruto: "Open your hands."
She stared at him in confusion but did as he asked. He placed a small bag in her hands.
Hinata looked at it, puzzled.
Naruto (smiling): "Open it."
She hesitated for a moment, then opened the bag. Her eyes widened in shock. "No way… This is…"
Naruto: "Looks like you haven't forgotten it either."
Hinata: "Of course not… I gave you this dish on the day you left."
Naruto: "I've been waiting to see you again to thank you for it… It was really delicious. I assume you made it yourself?"
Hinata blushed. "It was my first attempt… I don't know how you liked it!"
Naruto (teasingly): "It was a successful attempt… And it also saved my life."
Hinata (confused): "How?!"
Naruto: "Well… I wasn't fully prepared in terms of food. When I reached the middle of the forest, everything around me was poisonous plants. I spent two days there without food… Then, I suddenly remembered your gift. I was shocked to find that it was ramen. If I hadn't had it, I would've starved."
Hinata laughed. "A hero like you… dying over something so simple?"
Naruto (jokingly): "Heroes like me only die from the dumbest reasons."
Hinata laughed happily, completely forgetting about being upset with him. In the end, she loved him, and no amount of anger could change that.
Naruto: "Well, Hinata… Thanks again… See you."
Hinata: "Wait… Naruto-kun."
He looked at her, then smiled. "I missed hearing that from you."
Hinata's cheeks turned bright red, her eyes widening in surprise. He missed… hearing it… from me?!
Naruto turned to leave. "Alright, when you two are ready, wait for me outside."
Hinata (smiling): "Okay… See you."
Sakura, on the other hand, turned away grumpily. "And now he's ordering us around, too…"
Hinata thought to herself, Something definitely happened… This isn't like her.
Fifteen minutes later, Hinata and Sakura finished preparing and waited outside the house.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Kushina were still inside. After they finished packing his bag, Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Alright, my love… I'm leaving now. Do you need anything?"
Kushina looked at him sadly, tears gathering in her eyes. "I want you to come back to me safely."
Naruto wiped away a tear before it could roll down her cheek. "Why the tears, my princess? I'll be back soon… I won't be gone long."
She lowered her head. "Alright… Just don't take too long."
He kissed her forehead before heading toward the door. She watched him leave, her heart heavy.
As Naruto walked out of the house, Sakura scolded, "You're late! It's rude to keep two girls waiting!"