At the Hokage's Office...
Shikamaru was just leaving when Sasuke stormed in, slamming the door behind him and marching toward the desk. He slammed his hand on it and demanded,
"Tsunade… is it true?! Did Sakura go on a mission?"
Tsunade exchanged a glance with Shizune before hesitating for a moment and then replying, "Yes."
Sasuke's eyes darkened. "And how could you allow her to go on a mission without me?"
Tsunade sighed. "I had no choice, Sasuke… It was an urgent situation, and waiting for your return would not have been wise."
His patience wearing thin, Sasuke clenched his jaw and said, "So that's why you wouldn't let me see her today…"
Without another word, he turned and headed for the door.
Tsunade called after him, "Where are you going?"
Sasuke didn't stop. "To find her."
Tsunade sighed again. "She's already back… but she's not at home."
A flicker of worry crossed Sasuke's face. "Is she in the hospital?"
"No… She's fine… She's at Naruto's house."
He froze for a moment, then silently walked out the door.
Watching him leave, Shizune commented, "He didn't seem nearly as surprised about Naruto's return as we were…"
Back at Naruto's House...
Kushina gently pulled away from Naruto's embrace and stepped into the center of the candlelit circle in front of the fireplace. With warmth in her voice, she said,
"Come here…"
Naruto walked toward her until he was standing right in front of her. He glanced around before asking, "Where's Sakura?"
Kushina smiled, "She went to bed."
Naruto wrapped his arms around Kushina again, pulling her close until their foreheads touched. He gazed into her eyes and whispered, "Good."
Slowly, they sank down to the floor while still holding onto each other.
Kushina spoke softly, "You know… I never expected our engagement to last an entire year."
Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Why not?!"
She lowered her gaze before looking into his eyes again. "I thought that once you realized how much trouble I would bring you… you'd leave me… just like everyone else did."
Gently, she placed a hand on his cheek and continued, "But you didn't… You stayed by my side… You never abandoned me… You protected me, even in the moments when I wanted to hurt myself… And in the moments when I hated myself… You loved me instead… And not only that, you made me your princess… though I don't think I deserve that title…"
Naruto interrupted her, his voice full of tenderness, "But you are the only one… the only one I see as… the princess of my heart's kingdom."
At that moment, Sakura clenched her fist against the wall, nearly shattering it with the sheer force of her grip. She thought to herself, I don't know where this anger is coming from… but I feel like I want to destroy an entire castle.
Meanwhile, Kushina picked up the flowers lying beside them, moved away from Naruto slightly, and sat down in front of the fireplace, placing the flowers beside her. Naruto leaned one hand on the floor while resting the other on his raised knee.
Kushina glanced at him and said, "It looks like we only have one hour left before this day ends."
He smiled at her and replied, "Then… let's not waste it."
Blushing, she placed her hands on the ground in front of her and slowly crawled toward him with her eyes closed. Naruto also closed his eyes as he leaned in toward her…
Sakura had been standing there for a long time, but she only noticed the pain in her bandaged foot when they were just moments away from kissing. Unable to endure it any longer, she collapsed onto the floor right in front of them.
Now that the wall was no longer shielding her, both Naruto and Kushina jolted in shock and looked at her in surprise.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, while Sakura cast him a shy glance before closing her eyes and letting out an awkward laugh, as if apologizing for interrupting them. She quickly scrambled to hide behind the wall again.
Naruto and Kushina exchanged confused looks, trying to reclaim their moment, but before they could, the sound of the doorbell interrupted them again.
They both turned toward the door at the same time. Kushina started to get up to open it, but Naruto gestured for her to stay seated and stood up himself.
He opened the door, visibly annoyed, but his expression quickly turned to surprise.
"Shikamaru?!?!"
Shikamaru blinked in disbelief. "Huh… Naruto… is that really you?!"
"Yeah… How did you know I was here?"
Shikamaru continued to stare at him, stunned, until Naruto broke his trance.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shikamaru shook his head and said, "No… it's nothing… You just look… different."
Naruto sighed. "Is that the only reason you came here?!"
"No, no… Hokage-sama sent me to inform you about a mission."
Naruto frowned. "A mission?!"
Shikamaru leaned in and whispered the details.
Naruto's expression darkened. "What did you just say?!"
Shikamaru repeated, "You heard me… We have to move quickly—"
But before he could finish, his attention was drawn to the beautiful girl standing inside the house, watching them with concern.
Shikamaru stared at her until Naruto shifted his body, blocking his view.
Looking away awkwardly, Shikamaru muttered, "Sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean to… It looks like this mission really came at a bad time."
Naruto sighed. "Shikamaru… isn't there anyone else who can handle this mission?"
"Unfortunately, no. This mission requires your speed. And the Hokage specifically assigned it to you. We don't have much time—let's go."
Naruto hesitated for a moment. "Alright… Just give me a second."
Shikamaru nodded. "Fine, but don't take too long—I'll be waiting outside."
Naruto turned back to Kushina, placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her forehead gently. "I'm sorry… my princess… but I have to go now."
He grabbed the cloak she had made for him and walked toward the door.
Kushina called after him, "Naruto—"
But he cut her off with a quick, "Jaa na!"
And just like that, he vanished in an instant, closing the door behind him.
Kushina stared at the door for a moment before lowering her head in deep sadness.
Suddenly, Sakura's voice broke the silence. "Sorry for ruining your evening."
Kushina turned around quickly to see Sakura standing near the wall. She smiled sadly and replied, "No… it's not your fault."
Before they could say anything more, the doorbell rang again.
Kushina's face lit up with hope. "Naruto…!"
She rushed to open the door, but as soon as Sakura saw who was standing outside, she quickly ducked behind the wall again before he could see her.
Kushina blinked in surprise. "Sasuke-san…?"
Sasuke stared at her. "Kushina?!"
Sakura, hiding behind the wall, thought to herself in shock, Sasuke?! … Kushina?! … How do they know each other?!?
Sasuke's voice was firm. "Sakura is here, isn't she?"
Kushina hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes… Please, come in."
He stood in the middle of the room and then said, his voice shaking the walls with fear: "Sakura..."